Utility of Arabic Voice Handicap Index (10) for voice assessment after thyroidectomy in Egypt

Abstract Background Thyroidectomy is a widely used procedure in the management of different thyroid diseases, which occur commonly in females and may lead to voice changes either due to nerve injury or even with preserved laryngeal nerves. Voice changes could be detected as early as 2 weeks post-operative. VHI (10) is a 10-item simple questionnaire to identify voice outcomes after thyroidectomy that provides a valid reflection of the patient’s self-perception of his or her voice. The aim is to evaluate the impact of thyroidectomy on voice quality using VHI (10), the Arabic version in patients with or without affection of laryngeal nerves. Results Thyroidectomy leads to early significant changes in voice quality, as evidenced by (GRBAS) and (VHI-10) assessments either with affection of vocal fold mobility or without. Conclusion It is important to early detect voice outcome post-thyroidectomy using simple valid tool as Arabic VHI-10.