Early Voice Therapy in Patients with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this work was to study the efficacy of early voice therapy in the management of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Patients and Methods: Three groups of patients suffering from unilateral vocal fold paralysis were subjected to a protocol of voice evaluation including auditory-perceptual voice analysis, the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and the 20-item Voice Problem Self-Assessment Scale (VPSS-20). Patients were also examined using video laryngostroboscopy. The early voice therapy group was enrolled in a voice therapy program for 16 sessions as soon as the patients were diagnosed; the second group of patients did not receive voice therapy during the course of their ailment. The late voice therapy group was enrolled in a voice therapy after a period of at least 6 months following the onset of vocal fold paralysis. All studied patients were reevaluated after a period of 2 months. Results: The early voice therapy group showed better outcomes regarding VPSS-20 scores, auditory-perceptual voice analysis as well as the DSI. Conclusion: Early onset of voice therapy may enhance the reduction in glottal gap and improvement of voice quality by hindering the development of faulty hyperfunctional compensatory behaviors; early voice therapy may therefore enhance the patient's quality of life.

Factors Involved in Vocal Fatigue: A Pilot Study

“…The results of this study thus suggest a decreased vocal quality in subjects with the complaint of VF. In contrast, the current patient group seems to have a better voice quality than patients with vocal fold paralysis (mean DSI -4.59) [41], although a similar voice quality was observed for patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders (mean DSI -1.4) [42] and vocal fold nodules (median DSI -0.81) [43]. …”

Evaluating the efficacy of voice therapy for functional, organic and neurological voice disorders

“…[101][102][103][104] Despite significant methodological weaknesses in many of these studies, there are two studies which contain a number of positive features which could form the basis of future studies of speech therapy effectiveness for patients with UVFP. 101,105 El-Banna and Youssef 105 provide a detailed prescriptive treatment protocol and employ a multidimensional assessment battery to demonstrate accurate comparisons of treatment outcomes in a cohort of patients with clear diagnostic homogeneity. This quality of methodological design is rare in the literature in this field.…”

Logopädische Behandlung unilateraler Stimmlippenparalysen

“…Gauthier Desuter 3,7,9,10 Prof. Dr., EMBA, MSc. ; Professor und HNO-Arzt an der Université catholique de Louvain (Brussel, Belgien) und University of Leiden (Leiden, Niederlande).…”