The Effects of Microflap Surgery on Voice Improvement in 93 Cases of Vocal Fold Cysts.

Purpose, This study aims to analyze and compare various voice parameters before and after microflap surgery (MFS) in VFCs to provide a comprehensive assessment of surgical outcomes. Theoretical background, Vocal fold cysts (VFCs) are encapsulated lesions that cause dysphonia. Previous studies have shown that microflap surgery improves the mucosal wave (Courey, 1995, Singh, 2015) and subjective voice test scores, such as the VHI-10 (Tibbetts, 2015). While previous research has extensively examined objective voice parameters for vocal fold polyps, studies specifically focusing on VFCs are less common. Our aim in this study is to analyze and compare various voice parameters before and after microflap surgery in VFCs to provide a comprehensive assessment of surgical outcomes. Research method, A retrospective analysis was conducted on 93 VFC cases treated with MFS between 1996 and 2022. VFCs were classified based on histopathological findings into retention cyst, epidermoid cyst, and unclassified cases due to inadequate pathological material. Voice parameters assessed included MPT, MFR, fundamental frequency (F0), F0 range in semitones, sound pressure level (SPL), SPL range, PPQ, APQ, jitter, shimmer, NNE, NHR, and VHI-10. Recurrence was defined as postoperative voice deterioration leading to outpatient visits. Findings and discussion. Patients with epidermoid cysts were significantly younger than those with retention cysts (p=0.0158). Postoperatively, all voice parameters, except F0 (in both males and females) and SPL range (in males), showed significant improvement. Recurrence was observed in two cases (2.2%). MFS is an effective treatment for VFC, significantly improving multiple voice parameters regardless of cyst classification. This study provides a reference for preoperative and postoperative voice parameters and treatment outcomes in VFCs. These findings support the efficacy of MFS and contribute to a better understanding of VFC management in a Japanese population, where such data have been limited.