Long-Term Assessment of Speech and Swallowing Function in Laryngopharyngeal Cancer Patients After J-Flap Reconstruction.

Objectives: A novel J-shaped anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap reconstruction technique was developed to simultaneously restore swallowing and speech functions in patients following total laryngopharyngectomy. This study aimed to assess the outcomes and surgical complications in patients who underwent J-flap reconstruction over time.

Methods: Patients who underwent J-shaped ALT flap phonatory tube reconstruction were enrolled.

Aerodynamic Performance and Neuromuscular Control in Patients with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis.

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) causes glottal incompetence and poor vocal efficiency. The influence of laryngeal neuromuscular control on aerodynamics in UVFP remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between laryngeal muscle activities using quantitative laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) and aerodynamics in UVFP.

Persistence of lower vocal intensity in vocal fold paralysis with cricothyroid impairment after hyaluronate injection.

Background: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) affects the glottal gap, voice, and aerodynamics, whereas injection laryngoplasty (IL) using hyaluronate is an effective treatment for UVFP by decreasing the glottal gap to improve voice. Previous studies have shown that the involvement of cricothyroid (CT) muscle in UVFP patients further affects patients' aerodynamics, but it remains unclear whether the difference remains after IL. This study investigates whether the aerodynamic features observed in UVFP with CT involvement could still be observed after IL.

Cricothyroid Dysfunction in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Females Impairs Lexical Tone Production.

In this cross-sectional study, we compared voice tone and activities relating to the laryngeal muscle between unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) patients with and without cricothyroid (CT) muscle dysfunction to define how CT dysfunction affects language tone. Eighty-eight female surgery-related UVFP patients were recruited and received acoustic voice analysis and laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) when the patient was producing the four Mandarin tones. The statistical analysis was compared between UVFP patients with (CT+ group, 17 patients) and without CT muscle (CT- group, 71 patients) involvement.

Speech Performance after Anterolateral Thigh Phonatory Tube Reconstruction for Total Laryngectomy.

Objective: Traditionally, after total laryngopharyngectomy (TLP), patients cannot speak without a prosthesis or an artificial larynx. In Taiwan, most patients use a commercialized pneumatic laryngeal device (PLD). Phonatory tube reconstruction with the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap is a novel, modified version of synchronous digestive and phonatory reconstruction involving a free muscular cutaneous flap.

Two trajectories of functional recovery in thyroid surgery related unilateral vocal cord paralysis.

Background: Iatrogenic unilateral vocal fold paralysis caused by thyroid surgery induces profound physical and psychosocial distress in patients. The natural course of functional recovery over time differs substantially across subjects, but the mechanisms underlying this difference remain unclear. In this study, we examined whether the anatomic site of the lesion affected the trajectory of recovery.

Voice aerodynamics following office-based hyaluronate injection laryngoplasty.

Objectives: Neuromuscular control, glottal conformation and aerodynamics are the major factors affecting voice performance. We aimed to characterise the degree to which voice improvements following office-based intracordal hyaluronate injection laryngoplasty (HIL) depend on changes in voice aerodynamics in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), by assessing the correlations between these parameters.

Design: Prospective case series.

The impact of cricothyroid involvement on adductor recovery in unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Objectives/hypothesis: Wide variation in postinjury functional recovery is a hallmark of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), ranging from zero to full recovery. The present study examined the impact of cricothyroid (CT) muscle involvement on recovery using quantitative laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) of the thyroarytenoid-lateral cricoarytenoid (TA-LCA) muscle complex at multiple times postinjury.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study in a medical center.

Voice Range Change After Injection Laryngoplasty for Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis.

Objectives: Patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) caused by nerve injury manifest with voice changes. This study investigated vocal performance measured by voice range profile (VRP) in patients with UVFP and changes in VRP in response to intracordal hyaluronate injection.

Methods: Eighty-five patients with UVFP were enrolled prospectively, among whom 68 received intracordal hyaluronate injections.

Implications of Synkinesis in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis.

Objectives In patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) occasionally observes synkinesis in laryngeal muscles, a condition that could impair vocal fold mobility and voice control. This study aims to evaluate the impact of synkinesis on UVFP patients. Study Design A retrospective case-control study.

Life quality improvement in hoarse patients with early glottic cancer after transoral laser microsurgery.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recovery kinetics of voice and quality of life (QOL) over time in patients with early glottic cancer who underwent transoral laser microsurgery (TLM).

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in which acoustic and aerodynamic voice assessments and QOL analyses were done using health-related questionnaires (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-questions [EORTC-QLQ-C30] and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck 35-questions [EORTC-QLQ-H&N35]) were administered at designated times.

Results: Most voice laboratory parameters worsened during the first month, then recovered to baseline after 6 months.

Speech intelligibility, speaking rate, and vowel formant characteristics in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implant.

The effects of the use of cochlear implant (CI) on speech intelligibility, speaking rate, and vowel formant characteristics and the relationships between speech intelligibility, speaking rate, and vowel formant characteristics for children are clinically important. The purposes of this study were to report on the comparisons for speaking rate and vowel space area, and their relationship with speech intelligibility, between 24 Mandarin-speaking children with CI and 24 age-sex-education level matched normal hearing (NH) controls. Participants were audio recorded as they read a designed Mandarin intelligibility test, repeated prolongation of each of the three point vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/ five times, and repeated each of three sentences carrying one point vowel five times.

Outcomes of fat injection laryngoplasty in unilateral vocal cord paralysis.

Objective: To analyze outcomes following fat injection laryngoplasty in patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis.

Design: Longitudinal outcomes evaluation study.

Setting: Tertiary referral voice center.

Quality of life measures and predictors for adults with unilateral vocal cord paralysis.

Objective/hypothesis: To investigate the quality of life (QoLF) status of Taiwanese adults with unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP).

Study Design: A prospective, QoLF survey in a tertiary referral voice center.

Methods: Fifty-five consecutive UVCP patients were evaluated with Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey and the voice outcome survey at entry.