Abstract
Objective: Vocal cord nodules are of the most common benign laryngeal pathologies that may cause dysphonia and hoarseness. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of surgical versus nonsurgical interventions for vocal cord nodules.
Method: In a cohort study, 60 patients with vocal cord nodules were enrolled in 2 groups. The study was carried out from 2010-2011 at Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz. One group underwent surgical microscopic excision, and the other one was managed with medical and speech therapies. The results were evaluated 3 months later.
Results: The mean age of patients was 37.35 ± 9.22 years with male to female ratio of 36/24. In each group, 27% of patients were smokers. Sixty percent of patients in the surgical group had job-related use of voice, compared to 72% in the nonsurgical group. In the surgical group, 63% of patients had bilateral nodules versus 76% in the nonsurgical group. In evaluating improvement of voice quality there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups regarding patient satisfaction and the surgeon’s evaluations (P = .16 and P = .07, respectively).
Conclusion: There was no definite difference between surgical and nonsurgical interventions of vocal cord nodules.
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