Speech nodules, the disease of those who speak too much?

Generally, vocal nodules affect women aged 20 to 50 years. These usually result from repeated vocal trauma. Often, patients who develop vocal nodules are those who speak a lot or use excessive voice (teachers, singers, sellers). There are bilateral lesions due to the thickening of the epithelium from the free edge (the vibratory portion) of the vocal cords. They are usually located in the front of the vocal cords and have a white-side appearance. From the pathophysiological point of view, vocal nodules result from repeated lesions caused by excessive vibrations in the anterior portion of the vocal cords.

These occur by increasing the subglottic pressure when the voice is used at high intensity, for example when screaming for long periods of time. Initially, the nodules appear as small edema lesions in the superficial portion of the free edge of the vocal cords. As the traumas persist, the lesions become chronic and change their structure, becoming irreversible, Other factors that may be associated with the appearance of vocal nodules are smoking, gastroesophageal reflux, rhinitis or rhinosinusitis, or excessive alcohol or coffee consumption. Often. dysphonia may also be accompanied by less specific laryngeal-pharyngeal symptoms such as persistent dry cough and foreign body sensation.

Some patients, but especially vocalists, may notice the phonastenia (voice fatigue) or the impossibility of reaching high tones in the early stages, The diagnosis can be made by the ENT specialist who will assess the symptoms and perform an examination of the laryngeal cavity by endoscopy. Laryngeal endoscopy is practiced with a rigid or flexible endoscope, the person having the advantage of viewing the high resolution during phonation vocal cords. Treatment of vocal nodules is often conservative. Vocal exercises and behavioral therapy are practiced. This reduces the lesions in the vocal cords.

As an adjuvant method, it also counts on the treatment of other pre-existing pathologies that may aggravate pathology (gastro-esophageal reflux, rhinitis, rhinosinusitis). Surgical treatment is reserved for cases where conservative treatment does not provide the expected results or is not satisfactory for the patient's vocal needs. The purpose of surgical treatment is to resect the modified tissue from the structure of the vocal nodules, maintaining the integrity of the surrounding healthy tissue. Healing after surgical treatment is usually good, but the patient may require postoperative voice therapy, vocal re-education, even more for professional classes that use voice in their daily profession, Ioan Alexandru Bulescu. There are a lot of myths about vocal hygiene, even in connection with these vocal nodules, which are also popularly called I'm just another way of saying they're upsetting.

Here are the rules to follow in the expert's opinion! . Bulescu. .