FLEXIBLE FIBREOPTIC LARYNGOSCOPY VERSUS SIMPLE VOICE ASSESSMENT IN A ROUTINE CLINICAL SETTING TO PREDICT VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS AFTER THYROID SURGERY

Backgrounds: Thyroid disease has a high prevalence in the general population, with a female predominance. Thyroidectomy is a very frequently performed surgical procedure for the treatment of benign and malignant nodules. The intricate and delicate anatomical structures for voice production lie in proximity to the thyroid gland and are vulnerable during operations on the thyroid. Aims and objectives: To find predictive value of vocal cord palsy as observed by simple voice assessment following thyroid surgery using flexible fibreoptic laryngoscopy as gold standard. Materials and Method: This was a prospective observational study. 42 diagnosed cases of thyroid swelling that were undergone different modalities of thyroidectomy from February 2009 to January 2010were enrolled in study. Age, sex, geographical distribution, vocal cord status and post operative voice changes at 5th and 30th days were recorded and analyzed.