Administration of Radioactive Iodine Therapy Within 1 Year After Total Thyroidectomy Does Not Affect Vocal Function

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of radioactive iodine therapy (RIT) on vocal function during the early follow-up period after total thyroidectomy (TT) using perceptive and objective measurements, questionnaires regarding subjective symptoms, and data on vocal function in a prospectively enrolled and serially followed thyroid cancer cohort. Methods: Of 212 patients who underwent TT and were screened between January and December 2010 at our hospital, 160 were included in the final analysis. Patients with the following histories were excluded: lateral neck dissection, organic vocal fold disease, external radiotherapy, and voice evaluation during thyroxine withdrawal. Patients were stratified into 3 groups: TT, TT with low-dose RIT (1.1-2.2 GBq), and TT with high-dose RIT ($3.7 GBq). Voice evaluations were performed before surgery and at 1, 6, and 12 mo after TT. Results: Vocal characteristics were altered after TT, including changes on the grade, roughness, and strain scale; increased amplitude perturbation; decreased fundamental frequency; narrowed pitch range; and global disturbances in subjective functional parameters on the voice handicap index. However, the degree of vocal changes among the 3 groups did not significantly differ within the 1-y postoperative follow-up period. According to the results of subgroup analyses of patients who demonstrated good voice outcomes after TT, there were no significant functional differences among the 3 groups. Conclusion: RIT at any dose does not affect vocal function within 1 y of TT.

Prospective voice assessment after uncomplicated thyroidectomy: A comprehensive analysis of a single centre experience

“…There are few studies on the impact of RIA implementation on voice quality. [20][21][22] We did not find any correlation between RIA and voice change, consistent with a previous study by Ryu et al 22 Previous studies on the effects of the extent of thyroidectomy have produced contradictory results. [23][24][25] In this study, significantly greater differences in the results of perceptual and subjective analyses were found for the total thyroidectomy group compared to the lobectomy group.…”

Development and Evaluation of a Korean Version of a Thyroid-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Scale in Thyroid Cancer Patients

“…In general, thyroid cancer does not produce any symptoms unless they invade adjacent structures including recurrent laryngeal nerve, trachea and esophagus. They usually have normal voice before surgery, however, experienced significant vocal compromise after surgery [ 15 , 19 ]. Preoperative normal voice may show relative low correlation between 1j of KT-QoL and VHI-30.…”

Singing voice range profile: New objective evaluation methods for voice change after thyroidectomy

“…Dysphonia after surgery in the thyroid region can occur for many reasons. In this study, we focused on dysphonia after thyroidectomy because previous studies emphasised that nearly 90% of patients present with voice changes after thyroidectomy, even in cases without recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury 7,21,22 . Most patients continue to complain of voice change by their 1‐year follow‐up 22,28 .…”