Thyroplasty type I: Short- versus long-term results

OBJECTIVE: After thyroplasty type I, significant improvement has been repor ted in objective measures of vocal function. The purpose of this investigat ion was to compare the short- and long-term results in patients undergoing thyroplasty type I. METHODS: Data on 26 patients who had undergone thyroplasty type I for manag ement of unilateral vocal fold paralysis were compared from before surgery to the short-term (1-month) and long-term (>1-year) postoperative assessmen t points. Statistical analysis included paired t tests to assess the signif icance of between-group differences. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the preoperative and bo th postoperative evaluations for the measures of mean glottal flow rate, ma ximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. However , no significant differences were found between the 1-month and >1-year ass essment points. CONCLUSIONS: The results for the parameters studied appeared to reach maxim um improvement within 1 month after surgery. It is possible that the effect s of time, including the normal aging process, hormonal changes, or other a lterations in general health, may require longer follow-up to better addres s these issues.