DYSPHONIA AFTER THYROIDECTOMY WITHOUT LESION OF THE RECURRENT NERVE

Voice function was phoniatrically investigated pre- and postoperatively in 66 patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Postoperatively we found a disturbance of the voice in 25 patients (43 %), though there was a normal function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Typical symptoms were a reduced average pitch of the speaking voice, a lowering of the upper and the lower limit of the range of pitch, a lower volume and a fast fatigue of the voice. Eight times the voice remained reduced, even 6 months postoperatively. The cause is not seen in a neural lesion but in a disturbance of the prelaryngeal musculature. The frequency of the voice changes emphasizes the importance of the phoniatric examination, especially in patients who need their voice professionally.