Treatment success for age-related vocal fold atrophy

✍ Scribed by Jackie Gartner-Schmidt; Clark Rosen

• Book ID: 102448145
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 143 KB
• Volume: 121
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0023-852X
• DOI: 10.1002/lary.21122

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objectives/Hypothesis:

To characterize perceived voice handicap of patients diagnosed with vocal fold atrophy and review treatment success.

Study Design:

Retrospective study.

Methods:

Two hundred seventy‐five patients diagnosed with vocal fold atrophy (January 2007–January 2009) were reviewed from a preexisting clinical database. Outcome measures included pre/post‐treatment Voice Handicap Index‐10 and data from a voice therapy discharge survey.

Results:

Five groups emerged from the data set. Group A: patients who had no follow‐up (69%). After removing group A from the data set, the following groups emerged: group B: patients who had no treatment but some follow‐up (31%); group C: patients who had voice therapy only (44%); group D: patients who had surgery only (15%); and group E: patients who had voice therapy first and subsequent surgery (9%). The perceived voice handicap severity was worse for groups C and D compared to groups A, B, and E. Treatment success outcomes showed that groups C (36%), D (56%), and E (17%) only improved marginally. However, 81% of patients diagnosed with atrophy believed that voice therapy helped them but only by 48%.

Conclusions:

Treatment success for age‐related vocal fold atrophy is poor to moderately poor for this cohort of patients. Laryngoscope, 2011