Development and clinical evaluation of a voice rehabilitation method for unilateral vocal fold paresis after thyroidectomy

Relevance. Unilateral paresis of the vocal folds is a common complication after thyroidectomy, accompanied by impaired phonation, breathing, and decreased quality of life.

Goal. To evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive rehabilitation technique, including amplipulse therapy, DoctorVox voice therapy, and drug electrophoresis in patients with unilateral vocal fold paresis.

Methods. The study included 132 patients (18-65 years old) with unilateral paresis of the vocal folds after thyroidectomy. The rehabilitation program included amplipulse therapy (10 sessions), voice therapy (4-6 weeks) and electrophoresis (2-3 weeks). The effectiveness was assessed on the VHI-10 scale, acoustic parameters (Jitter, Shimmer, HNR, MPT), laryngostroboscopy. Statistical processing was performed in SPSS 26.0, the significance level is p<0.05.

Results. 76 % of patients showed an improvement in vocal function; in the 18-35 – year-old group, the positive dynamics was 85 %, in the 36-65-year-old group – 70 % (p while HNR and MPT increased. The average VHI-10 score decreased from 45.3±5.1 to 22.4±4.0 (p<0.01).

Conclusions. The complex technique helps to improve voice function after thyroidectomy and can be recommended for implementation in clinical practice. Further multicenter studies with the inclusion of a control group are required.

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