Foniatric approach to benign vocal cord lesions - evaluation of voice therapy efficiency after surgical treatment in vocal cord polyps diagnosed

Introduction and Aim As well as vocal cord polyps are originating as a result of vibratory trauma, cigarette smoking is also effective in their occurrence. In our study, patients diagnosed with vocal cord polyps were divided into two groups; one group received only surgical therapy and the other one first subjected to voice therapy and voice training then surgical therapy. Our aim was to evaluate 2 groups with the results of objective and subjective voice assessment tests and to compare them. Materials and Methods Patients diagnosed with vocal cord polyps were divided into two groups. Group one consisted of patients who received surgical therapy and group two consisted of those who received first voice therapy and voice hygiene and then surgical therapy due to unrecovered complaint. In all patients the voice records and video gostroboskopik image records were taken preoperatively and postoperative 1, 3 and 6 months. In the subjective auditory-perceptive voice analysis, the GRBAS Scale and Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10); in Objective Voice Analysis, the jitter, shimmer, FO, Harmonic noise ratio (HNR:dB); Maximum phonation time (MPT) were studied. Findings As a result of statistical evaluation of the pre-and-post-therapy VHI-10 and GRBAS scores, a statistically significant improvement was found in their compliances related to post-therapy voices. It was identified that a reduction was occurred in GRBAS and VHI-10 scores of group two patients after voice therapy and hygiene, however they were improved more significantly after surgical therapy. In group one patients an increase in MPT was observed after therapy and a significant reduction occurred in FO, jitter, shimmer and HNR values. In group two patients there was an increase in MPT after voice therapy and surgical therapy, whereas a significant reduction was detected in FO, jitter, shimmer and HNR values. A decrease in polyp dimensions was observed in 6 (12 %) of 50 patients who were subjected to surgical operation if there was no improvement in voice therapy. V Conclusion While the curative therapy for vocal cord polyps is generally surgical therapy, keeping in mind that the quality of voice can be improved, complaints may be decreased and even in some selected patients complaints and polyps might be regressed completely through the voice therapy and voice hygiene; therefore in these patients we recommend initiation of voice therapy and voice hygiene right after decision is made for operation and continued after surgery.