An Analysis of the Effects of Voice Therapy on Patients With Early Vocal Fold Polyps.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the voice characteristics of patients with early vocal fold polyps and to investigate the effects of voice therapy on patients.

METHODS: Voice therapy was conducted on 88 patients with early vocal fold polyps in an experimental group. Laryngostroboscopy, the voice handicap index (VHI), and the dysphonia severity index (DSI) were applied to evaluate the patients' voice quality before and after treatment. Thirty-one healthy volunteers also underwent evaluation of voice quality as a control group. The intergroup and intragroup differences in the results of laryngostroboscopy, VHI, and DSI were compared statistically.

RESULTS: In the experimental group, 22 patients withdrew from the treatment for various reasons. After voice therapy, the cure rate was 30.3% (20/66). All the VHI values in the experimental group before treatment were statistically worse than the values in the control group. The P and T values of the VHI in the experimental group were still worse after treatment than the values in the control group, although the VHI did improve after treatment in the experimental group. The maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, I-low, and DSI were statistically different between the control group and the experimental group both before and after treatment. Furthermore, the MPT, jitter, F0 -high, I-low, and DSI improved after treatment in the experimental group.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early vocal fold polyps have some degree of subjective and objective dysphonia. Voice therapy can improve the voice quality in these patients.