Voice and Respiration Before and After Partial Laryngeal Resections

Abstract

Glottic tumours and the different surgical procedures for their treatment always cause alterations of laryngeal phonation and the glottic airflow. For this reason, stroboscopic, voice-analysis and pulmonary function tests should always be carried out before and after a partial laryngeal resection as well as evaluations of the glottic efficiency. In most of the preceding communications the pre and postoperative vocal and respiratory evaluations were not discussed, and only some authors gave some subjective information which could not satisfy the phoniatrist and phoniatric laryngologist. In a film Labayle demonstrated patients without vocal cords. According to his statement they spoke “relatively well”, but from the phoniatric point of view they had severe dysphonia. Vega reported about 86.5% of “good” and 5–10% of “bad” voices after the operation, but according to the objective Erlangen Dysphonia Scale more than 80% of his patients would suffer moderate or severe dysphonia.