P. Stankovic

Voice Quality After Treatment of Early Glottic Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES Increasing incidence of laryngeal carcinoma and advancement in diagnostics and therapy methods, have led to constant exploration in that field. Early glottic carcinoma can be treated successfully with several procedures: cordectomy through laryngofissure, laser cordectomy, and radiotherapy. Our objective was to assess the voice quality after these different modalities of treatment. STUDY DESIGN Prospective controlled study with 69 patients, treated in a 1-year period for glottic Tis and T1a carcinoma at the tertiary medical centre. METHODS Nineteen of our patients were treated endoscopically with CO(2) laser (types III-IV cordectomy according to recommended European Laryngological Society classification of endoscopic cordectomies). Thirty-five patients underwent cordectomy through laryngofissure, 15 patients had radiotherapy. Multidimensional computer analysis of voice and speech was conducted 1, 6, and 12 months after the treatment. Three programs included 14 parameters, which were observed. RESULTS While comparing the parameters between the groups, there were significant differences in the values of fundamental frequency (Hz), jitter (%), normalized noise energy (dB), standard deviation of fundamental frequency (Hz), percent silent time (%), and sound-pressure level in the different follow-up periods (P<0.05). CONCLUSION In the long run, patients treated with radiotherapy show better voice quality in comparison with other two groups.

Speech and language disorders secondary to diffuse subcortical vascular lesions: Neurolinguistic and acoustic analysis. A case report

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Subcortical white matter (WM) plays an important role in speech production and language processing. Most frequently, cerebral WM lesions are secondary to small vessel disease in patients with vascular risk factors. We report the case of a 53-year-old man with history of hypertension and ischemic subcortical lesions, who presented with speech difficulties and mild cognitive impairment. METHODS Language and cognitive assessment included Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Trail Making Test A and B, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Scale for Evaluation of Perceptive Characteristics of Voice and Speech, and Multidimensional Evaluation of Speech and Voice. RESULTS Brain MRI showed ischemic WM lesions and lacunar infarcts in the brainstem and right cerebellum. Cognitive testing revealed mild cognitive impairment, predominantly affecting attention and executive functions. Speech and language analysis demonstrated dysarthria, dysphonia with hypophonia, and imprecise articulation, as well as short rushes of speech, palilalia and mild subcortical dysphasia. CONCLUSIONS Neurolinguistic and acoustic analysis in patients with ischemic WM lesions can provide additional information in the understanding of language and speech disturbances, and can assist in patient management.

European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire–Head and Neck Module, updated version: Preliminary psychometric data from Serbian laryngectomized patients

We provided preliminary psychometric data for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire–Head and Neck Module, updated version (QLQ‐H&N43) from a group of Serbian laryngectomized patients.

Botulinum toxin efficacy in the treatment of patients with spasmodic dysphonia

BACKGROUND/AIM Spasmodic dysphonia (DS) is a disabling speech disturbance appearing as the consequence of dystonic vocal folds contraction. Its intermittent appearance in the laryngeal muscles causes vocal function discontinuation. The quality of life of these patients is significantly disturbed. Surgical and a medical therapy appear to be inadequate and unsuccessful ones of no steady improvement. It is the botulinum toxin therapy that proved to be highly efficacious one, with the established improvement in 80-100% of patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of botulinum toxin therapy in patients with SD and to show our preliminary results. METHODS The study included 10 patients with adductor spasmodic dysphonia. After diagnostic procedures, botulinum toxin was applied either in one or both vocal folds, in doses of 12-16 units each. In our study we applied indirect technique originally developed by Hocevar and Pirtosek. Perceptive voice and speech analysis was performed prior to and after the instillation of botuline toxin as per structured Scale of pathological characteristics of voice and speech appearing in the spasmodic dysphonia. RESULTS The majority of our patients experienced both subjective improvement and the improvement in the terms of the quality of life, Voice Henolicap Index--(VHI) that was rated as rather significant one (t = 3.562; p = 0.006). CONCLUSION Regardless unquestionable improvement of definite phonation, further function restitution requires individual vocal therapy and psychotherapy. Vocal therapy includes structural vocal techniques which reduce degree of vocal tension and rapid changes in the power and the height of voice. Further investigations are necessary for the scope of the definition of a standardized therapeutically procedure for spasmodic dysphonia treatment which comprises multidisciplinary approach in diagnosis, therapy and treatment efficacy evaluation.

Extended supraglottic laryngectomies

In the period 1976-1998, 408 patients with supraglottic laryngeal cancer were primarily treated by surgery using the method of supraglottic laryngectomy. Classical supraglottic laryngectomy was performed in 355 patients, while 53 underwent extended supraglottic laryngectomy. The objective of the study was to analyze the success of the extended supraglottic laryngectomy in relation to classical supraglottic laryngectomy in indicated cases. T1 tumor was found in 171 (42%) patients, T2 in 212 (52%), while T3 was found in 25 (6%) cases. Local recurrence developed in 3 out of 53 patients operated by the extended supraglottic laryngectomy technique, and in 17 out of 355 operated by classical supraglottic laryngectomy (chi2=0.075, DF=1, p=0.784; Yates=0.00, p=1.00). Five-year survival of patients operated by the extended supraglottic laryngectomy was reported in 40 out of 53 patients, while survival of patients operated by classical supraglottic laryngectomy was noted in 270 out of 355 cases (chi2=0.004, DF=1, p=0.926; Yates=0.00, p=1.00). There was no significant difference of local recurrence and five-year survival between patients treated by classical and extended supraglottic laryngectomy.

Klasifikacija hroničnih inflamacija gornjih disajnih puteva na bazi alergijskog statusa

Almost one third to one half of all patients in otorhinolaryngologic practice experience some kind of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract out of which allergic mechanisms, either as primary factors or secondary ones, appear in 30-40% of adults and 60-80% of children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to analyze inflammatory conditions of the upper airways on the basis of allergic state of the patient and to establish the classification that will respect the actual immunological alteration level (subclinical allergy, clinical allergy) and spreading (localized allergy, generalized allergy). Inclusion criteria for all sixty nine patients were the diagnosis of chronic upper airway inflammation and their exposition just lo ubiquitous allergens. Diagnostic procedure included anamnesis, physical examination and allergic in vivo testing of the skin and nasal mucosa to inhalant allergens. The certain categories of results were established for the skin prick-test (positive, negative, indefinite), specific nasal provocation test (positive, negative, hyperreactive) and nasal symptoms (present, absent). By using a strictly determined combination of results, we were able to define the six groups in our classification: nasal clinical allergy (30% of patients), non-nasal clinical allergy (19% of patients), localized nasal allergy (11% of patients), latent allergy (3% of patient), nonspecific nasal hyperreactivity (12% of patient) and non-allergic inflammation (25% of patients). Our classification takes into consideration the modem knowledge in the field of allergology and may bring an additional quality in respect to selection of therapy options, long-term follow-up of allergy status evolution in the individual person as well as intragroup and intergroup analysis of parameters important to evaluate the effects of antiallergic prevention or therapy.