Symptoms of upper airway, voice and quality of life before thyroidectomy

• Grant number: 13/09128-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Elisabete Carrara-Angelis
• Grantee: Danyelle Sardinha de Oliveira
• Host Institution: A C Camargo Cancer Center. Fundação Antonio Prudente (FAP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Currently there are many studies on voice changes evaluation and it's impact on patients after thyroidectomy, however we believe that studying these patients before surgery is an important goal, because individuals may present these changes even before thyroidectomy, possibly due to hormonal alterations, presence of tumor and its extension that can compress nerves, or syndrome of musculoskeletal tension, and consequently have a negative impact on their professional, social and emotional lives. These presurgical changes can complicate the voice evaluation interpretation after thyroidectomy and these data have not been properly investigated. The aim of this study is to describe the upper airway, voice and quality of life symptomes pre-thyroidectomy. We ought to evaluate 300 patients before and after partial or total thyroidectomy regardless of histological type of tumor, of both sexes, aged 18 to 50 years old. Patients will be evaluated before surwgery Exclusion criteria will be individuals with a history of organic laryngeal disease, cervicofacial surgery and patients who fail to complete all stages of the study. The evaluation will include four questionnaires: Vocals Symptom Scale (ESV), Voice Handicap Index -10 (IDV-10), Upper Airway Symptoms of Post-thyroidectomy and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD); laryngeal examination, surface electromyography (sEMG), voice analysis and consultation on electronic medical records. We believe that with this study, including specific questionnaires and evaluations, we will find the real impact on quality of life in voice and factors that provide the negative impacts.