• S Koçak, S Aydintug, S Ozbaş, I Koçak, B Küçük, and S Baskan.
• Department of Surgery, Ankara University Medical School, Turkey.
• Eur J Surg. 1999 Mar 1;165(3):183-6.

ObjectiveTo compare clinical evaluation and indirect laryngoscopy with videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS), which is a new method of diagnosing abnormalities and dysfunction of the vocal folds.DesignProspective study.SettingTeaching hospital, Turkey.Subjects218 patients who required thyroidectomy and who had no vocal abnormality preoperatively.InterventionsClinical evaluation, indirect laryngoscopy, and VLS before operation and on the second postoperative day.Main Outcome MeasuresSensitivity and specificity.ResultsThe specificity of all three investigations was 100%. The sensitivity of VLS was 100%, of clinical evaluation 81%, and of indirect laryngoscopy 67%.ConclusionsClinical evaluation and indirect laryngoscopy are safe ways of evaluating abnormalities of the vocal cords postoperatively. It would probably not be cost-effective to use VLS routinely, but for differential diagnosis and evaluation of prognosis of vocal abnormalities after thyroidectomy it is more accurate.

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