HNO-Heilkunde: Open Access

Abstrakt

Time for Complete Vocal Recovery in Voice Professionals Undergoing Polyp Surgery

Guilherme Simas do Amaral Catani, Rosana Yurika de Freitas Kondo, Evaldo Dacheux de Macedo Filho and Caroline Fernandes Rimoli

Introduction: The voice is an important element for an individual in his personal and professional relationships. By means of it, we convey a message and are able to maintain communication. Some people use it as a working tool; they are called voice professionals and are classified into Koufman’s levels. Improper and strenuous use added to external elements, however, may cause vocal fatigue and when exertion exceeds the compensatory mechanisms, dysphonia by phonotraumatic lesions mainly polyps happen as a result.
Aim: To establish a secure parameter for the required time of vocal rest for functional and professional voice recovery after laryngeal microsurgery. Methods: Through objective variables, 68 voice professionals, Koufman’s level I and II with vocal polyps, who underwent laryngeal microsurgery, were selected and compared to 100 people with healthy voice from the preoperative moment up to 3 months postoperatively, based on an acoustic analysis with the shimmer, jitter, NHR and VPQ variables.
Results: All variables at 1 month postoperatively were seen to be adequate within normal limits.
Conclusion: After the surgical correction of polyps, we found the need for 1 month vocal rest for complete and safe vocal recovery.