Evaluation of vocal function in unilateral vocal fold paralysis following thyroplastic surgery

Perceptual, acoustic, and aerodynamic measures of vocal function were examined, pre- and post-treatment, in nine patients who had received thyroplastic (type I) surgery for unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Following thyroplasty, the patients showed significant improvements in the following perceptual and acoustic measures of vocal function: perceived breathiness, maximum phonation time, s/z ratio, vocal shimmer, and signal-to-noise ratio. Significant post-treatment changes were also observed in the following aerodynamic measures of phonation: air pressure, average airflow, laryngeal resistance, and breath group duration. These findings suggest that a combination of perceptual, acoustic, and aerodynamic measures of vocal function may be useful for comparing the relative effectiveness of different treatment procedures (i.e., thyroplasty vs. Teflon injection) in unilateral vocal fold paralysis.