Question explored with the scientific record
Conversation so far
- …started from a private conversation
- 1 What voice therapy protocol is used most often after thyroidectomy paralysis?
- 2 What voice therapy goals and exercises are commonly used anyway?
Answered on this page ↓
What voice therapy goals and exercises are commonly used anyway?
The short version: the evidence retrieved does not name a single voice therapy goal or exercise for post-thyroidectomy paralysis.
The records are almost entirely about surgical repair—injection laryngoplasty [3, 7], thyroplasty [14], reinnervation [8]—and about diagnosis [5] or natural history [11]. One study mentions "speech therapy" as a treatment option for one patient out of 108, but it does not describe what the therapy consisted of, what goals were set, or what exercises were used [2]. That is the closest the evidence comes to your question, and it is not close at all.
No study in this set compared different voice therapy protocols. No study reported a standard set of exercises (pitch glides, sustained phonation, resonant voice, breath support drills) or a hierarchy of goals (glottal closure, vocal fold adduction, respiratory coordination). The most basic clinical question—what do you actually tell a patient to practice—was never documented in the evidence retrieved.
My call: the evidence does not answer what voice therapy goals and exercises are commonly used. Confidence: high that the evidence is absent, not that the practice does not exist.
Sources examined 14
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Epidemiology of Vocal Fold Paralyses after Total Thyroidectomy for Well‐Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in a Medicare Population
This study investigates the incidence of vocal fold paralysis following total thyroidectomy for well-differentiated thyroid cancer in a Medicare population, revealing a 9.5% complication rate and a decreasing trend over time.
DOI: 10.1177/0194599814521381 -
UNILATERAL VOCAL FOLD PARALYSIS: CAUSES, OPTIONS AND OUTCOMES
This study reviews the aetiology and management options for unilateral vocal fold paralysis in 108 patients, highlighting the effectiveness of early intervention and various surgical techniques in restoring voice function.
DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1622.1999.01613.x -
Vocal fold augmentation with injectable calcium hydroxylapatite: short-term results
This study evaluates the short-term efficacy of calcium hydroxylapatite injection for augmenting the paralyzed vocal fold in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis, demonstrating significant improvements in voice quality and airflow measurements.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2004.02.001 -
Autologous Fat Injection for Vocal Fold Paralysis: Long-Term Histologic Evaluation
This study evaluates autologous fat injection into the thyroarytenoid muscle for vocal fold medialization in a canine model of unilateral vocal fold paralysis and shows viable fat persisting with minimal inflammation up to 6 months, supporting autologous fat as a potential long-…
DOI: 10.1177/000348949510400101 -
Relationship Between Laryngeal Electromyography and Video Laryngostroboscopy in Vocal Fold Paralysis
This study investigates the relationship between laryngeal electromyography and video laryngostroboscopy in diagnosing vocal fold paralysis, finding that vocal fold position can indicate the underlying nerve lesion.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.02.003 -
Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis in Parkinson Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature
This study presents the first documented case of unilateral vocal fold paralysis in a patient with Parkinson's disease, highlighting the need for awareness and early intervention in such cases.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.09.007 -
Long‐term Effects of Micronized Alloderm Injection for Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis
This study evaluates the long-term effectiveness of Cymetra injection laryngoplasty in improving vocal function in patients with unilateral true vocal fold paralysis, finding significant improvements in voice quality and glottal closure.
DOI: 10.1097/01.mlg.0000173163.07828.30 -
Systematic Review of Reinnervation for Vocal Fold Paralysis
This study systematically reviews the outcomes of various reinnervation techniques for unilateral vocal fold paralysis, highlighting the effectiveness of these methods and the need for standardized outcome measures.
DOI: 10.1016/j.otohns.2010.06.399 -
Value of ultrasonography in diagnosis of pediatric vocal fold paralysis
This study investigates the sonographic appearance of the pediatric larynx and evaluates the diagnostic potential of ultrasound in identifying vocal fold paralysis in children.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2011.06.017 -
Life Experience of Patients With Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis
This qualitative study explores the life experiences of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis, revealing themes of frustration, isolation, fear, and altered self-identity, which are influenced by psychological factors and social support systems.
DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2018.0067 -
The Natural History of Idiopathic Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: Evidence and Problems
A comprehensive literature review synthesizing preexisting reports on idiopathic unilateral vocal fold paralysis (IVFP) to characterize incidence, recovery of motion and voice, and the typical time course of spontaneous recovery, highlighting substantial variability due to defin…
DOI: 10.1097/mlg.0b013e31816f27ee -
Vocal Fold Paralysis After Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: Incidence, Mechanism, and Prevention of Injury
A large retrospective study and accompanying cadaver experiments demonstrate that endotracheal tube–related compression during laryngeal retraction in anterior cervical spine surgery is a major cause of vocal fold paralysis, and implementing cuff pressure monitoring with intermi…
DOI: 10.1097/00005537-200009000-00011 -
Vocal Fold Paralysis as a Delayed Consequence of Neck and Chest Radiotherapy
A retrospective case-series describing 10 patients with delayed vocal fold paralysis years after head/neck radiotherapy, detailing presentation, latency, contributing factors, and the potential benefit of injection augmentation for symptom relief.
DOI: 10.1177/0194599815583476 -
Voice outcome following thyroplasty in patients with cancer-related vocal fold paralysis
This study compared voice outcomes after thyroplasty between patients with cancer-related vocal fold paralysis and those with benign etiology, finding similar post-operative perceptual, acoustic, and aerodynamic improvements in both groups, with cancer patients showing comparabl…
DOI: 10.1016/s0385-8146(01)00101-8