Combined frequency of patient-reported swallowing and voice complaints before thyroidectomy

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To analyze the combined frequency of patient-reported swallowing and voice complaints before thyroidectomy.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of 51 interviews of patients referred for partial or total thyroidectomy. The combined frequency of patient-reported swallowing and voice complaints was determined from the median of the total number of related symptoms in each group. We also investigated how patients rated each function (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor) and whether this rating was related to the number of symptoms and the combined frequency. For bivariate analysis, Pearson’s chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test were used. The level of significance was 5%.

Results

The combined frequency of patient-reported swallowing and voice complaints before thyroidectomy was 31.4%. The most commonly swallowing-related symptoms were throat clearing after swallowing (39.3%), swallowing effort (37.2%), and choking (35.3%). The most commonly voice-related symptoms were dry throat (72.6%), throat clearing (72.5%), and itchy throat (47%). The total number of symptoms was significantly higher among those who rated swallowing (3.13 ± 2.21) and voice (5.91 ± 2.81) negatively. Negative self-assessment of the voice was associated with the combined frequency of patient-reported swallowing and voice complaints (p=0.003).

Conclusion

The combined frequency of patient-reported swallowing and voice complaints before thyroidectomy occurs in one third of the patients and is associated with negative self-assessment of the voice.

Keywords:
Thyroid gland; Thyroidectomy; Voice; Swallowing; Self-assessment