Voice-related quality of life and emotional symptoms before and after thyroidectomy.
Gustavo Batista de Oliveira, Thais Jejesky de Oliveira, Marco Homero de Sá Santos and 3 others
PMID 35137894WHAT IT FOUND
Voice-related quality of life did not change significantly after thyroidectomy, but anxiety dropped sharply one week post-surgery before rising again at three months.
Lower anxiety correlated with better voice self-perception. These findings suggest monitoring emotional symptoms alongside voice outcomes in this small cohort.
Key findings
01Voice-related quality of life scores did not differ significantly between pre-operative, one-week post-operative, and three-month post-operative time points.
02Anxiety scores decreased significantly from pre-operative to one week post-surgery, then increased again by three months, though remaining within normal range.
03Better voice-related quality of life scores at one week post-surgery were moderately correlated with lower anxiety scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (n=20), which limits the generalizability of the findings. Short follow-up period of only three months. Data collection was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to potential communication difficulties and incomplete follow-up. No data was collected on the specific motivations for surgery or detailed thyroid disease characteristics that might influence outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that voice therapy alone will improve quality of life if emotional symptoms are not addressed. The study shows a correlation between anxiety and voice self-perception, and voice scores did not significantly improve over time despite surgical intervention, suggesting that psychological factors play a critical role in patient-reported voice outcomes.