Effect of voice therapy on contact XXXX of the vocal fold.

@entity1 @entity734 @entity738
Contact @entity738 of the vocal folds caused by physical trauma secondary to @entity734 has traditionally been treated by surgical removal. This mode of handling can be frequently disappointing since these lesions have a strong tendency to recur and may require additional operative procedures. This paper describes 17 @entity1 in whom treatment of the primary problem was approached through voice therapy. Treatment consisted of a comprehensive history and voice evaluation, stress reduction, relaxation methods, auditory and kinesthetic feedback, pitch change and elimination of @entity734 . @entity1 were closely followed by the speech pathologist and laryngologist who worked together as a team. The results of voice therapy were evaluated by the laryngologist, the speech pathologist and the @entity1 himself. As a result of voice therapy, the @entity738 disappeared in 9 @entity1 , was reduced in size in 4 and remained unchanged in 1. For the remaining three @entity1 , posttherapeutic laryngoscopic findings were not available. The speech pathologist found voice and manner of phonation returned to normal in 4 @entity1 , improved in 7 and remained unchanged in 6. Four @entity1 felt that complete recovery had taken place, 10 felt that some improvement was noted, and 3 felt no change had taken place. Based on the assessments of all three evaluators, the success rate of treatment with voice therapy can be stated as 71% (12 of 17 cases) or 100% (eliminating 5 of 17 cases who terminated treatment very early).
