Self-assessment of voice-related symptoms in individuals with thyroid cancer before, immediately after, and in the late postoperative period of thyroidectomy

Abstract

Purpose To verify the self-perception of symptoms and vocal fatigue related to thyroidectomy in individuals with thyroid cancer in the pre, immediate post and late post-operative moments, and to analyze the influence of gender. Methods Intervention study before and after with 20 individuals, mean age 46 years, evaluated before surgery (M1), immediately after surgery (M2) and in the late postoperative period (M3) of thyroidectomy. Individuals answered the instruments: Voice Symptoms Scale, Vocal Fatigue Index and Thyroidectomy-Related Voice and Symptom Questionnaire. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Results In self-assessment of vocal symptoms of the total domains and limitation, M1 (p<0.001; p<0.001, respectively) and M3 (p=0.013; p=0.001, respectively) had significantly lower values than the M2. For the physical domain of self-assessment of vocal symptoms, the M3 showed statistically lower values than the M1 (p=0.006) and the M2 (p<0.001) assessments. Depending on the moment, the oropharyngolaryngeal symptoms in M3 had significantly lower values than M2 (p=0.004) and M1 (p=0.028). Male scores were significantly lower than female scores in the self-assessment of fatigue symptoms in the fatigue and vocal limitation domain (p=0.035), regardless of the time of assessment. Conclusion Physical vocal symptoms and thyroidectomy-related symptoms decrease in the late postoperative period; total vocal symptoms and limitation increasing in the immediate postoperative period and decrease in the late postoperative period. Women have a higher perception of vocal fatigue and limitation, and of total and vocal symptoms related to thyroidectomy.