Management of Contralateral Reactive Vocal Fold Lesions, a Retrospective Study.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Speech and Language Pathology
• Vocal Fold Pathology

Background:

• Contralateral reactive lesions (CRL) are frequently observed alongside benign vocal fold lesions (BFVL).
• The optimal management strategy for CRL remains a subject of debate within the voice care community.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the anatomical and voice outcomes of conservative management for patients with CRL.
• To compare vocal results between patients with and without CRL.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of adult patients with BFVL treated between 2015-2019.
• Patients categorized into two groups: with CRL (group B) and without CRL (group A).
• Analysis included videostroboscopy, GRBASI, VHI-10, and VRQOL pre- and post-treatment.

Main Results:

• 72.6% of BFVL cases presented with CRL.
• Conservative management (observation, injection, or surgery) was used for 93.3% of CRL.
• Postoperative voice analysis and quality of life scores significantly improved in both groups, with no difference between groups A and B.

Conclusions:

• CRL are highly prevalent in patients with BFVL.
• Conservative management is effective and yields comparable voice outcomes to patients without CRL.
• Age was identified as a mild protective factor against developing CRL.