What Causes Loss Of Voice After A Total Thyroidectomy?

Posted on Tue, 15 Jul 2014

Question: I had a total thyroidectomy on April 22nd of this year. They removed one parathyroid that was embedded in the thyroid as well as one lymph node. All were clear of cancer. I have not spoken a work since surgery. At my post op appointment, my surgeon scheduled me for another check up in four months. I am really getting anxious about not being able to speak. I can only whisper.

Answered by Dr. Binu Parameswaran Pillai (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Hello

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
Sorry to hear about your problem. At the same time glad to hear that the specimen was not cancerous.
I would like to know about your voice before surgery. HAve you ever had a voice trouble? Did you have a huge goiter before surgery which caused you difficuty to swallow or breath or hoarse voice?

There are many reasons for voice change or loss after surgery

1) Vocal cord palsy due to nerve injury
2) Direct vocal cord damage during aneasthesia
3) Thyroid swelling( cancer) affecting the nerve supplying vocal cord. This is unlikely in your case, as you said the sample was clear of cancer.
4) Edema of vocal cord

DO YOU HAVE A HARSH NOISE WHEN YOU BREATHE NOW ( STRIDOR) ??

Did you have an ENT ( Otolaryngeologist) check up ? ENT doctors will be able to check your vocal cords in detail now.
If it is due to edema or vocal cord injury, then it may improve over time.

Please relax. Arrange for an ENT check up and speech therapy.

Hopefully it will improve over time. In the interim, avoid doing anything which can affect your vocal cords like smoking, yelling etc.

I wish you a speedy recovery

Kind regards
Binu

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar