Thomas Murry

In the past several years, a number of scales have been developed that elicit a patient's self-assessment of the severity of his or her voice problem. The Voice Related Quality of Life Measure (V-RQOL) assesses a patient's perception of the impact of the voice problem on quality of life. Although this tool assesses the patient's perception of the voice disorder, it may not reflect the severity of dysphonia as perceived by a clinician. The GRBAS is an auditory-perceptual scale developed ...

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (QOL) provides a measure of the patient's perception of his life after treatment. This study was undertaken to assess changes in QOL and swallowing in patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CR) for head and neck cancer. The assessment tools consisted of the Head and Neck Radiotherapy Questionnaire (HNRQ) and a swallowing questionnaire (SQ).

METHODS: The HNRQ and SQ were administered to a group of CR patients prior to treatment (n = ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to examine the incidence and pathophysiology of aspiration in patients with unilateral vocal fold immobility presenting with dysphagia.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing (FEESST) data and medical records in two tertiary medical care centers.

METHODS: The data for all patients with unilateral vocal fold immobility who underwent FEESST between 2000 and 2003 were reviewed.

RESULTS: ...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, response rates, and toxicity of a Phase II study using targeted supradose cisplatin and concurrent radiation therapy in unresectable Stage III-IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Sixty patients presenting between 6/93-9/94 were enrolled, 44 (73%) of whom had T4 and/or N2-N3 nodal disease. All patients were treated with rapid targeted superselective intraarterial infusions of cisplatin (150 mg/m2 weekly x 4) and ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Avoiding alterations of the voice is a challenge in thyroid surgery. Identification and preservation of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) is paramount for normal vocal function preservation after thyroidectomy. Conventional nerve monitoring requires a general anesthesia and placement of a special endotracheal tube equipped with electrodes to evoke the laryngeal nerves. This study aims to assess feasibility and efficacy of a novel technique ...

OBJECTIVES: We describe the outcome of patients with cough and paradoxical vocal fold movement disorder (PVFMD) treated with respiratory retraining therapy and management of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

METHODS: Twenty patients with the complaint of cough were given a diagnosis of PVFMD and treated with proton pump inhibitors for a minimum of 6 months followed by 3 to 5 sessions of respiratory retraining therapy. Pulmonary function testing (PFT) and subjective rating of cough and ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to develop an abbreviated voice handicap assessment instrument and compare it with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI).

STUDY DESIGN: Item analysis of the VHI in individuals without voice disorders and patients with voice disorders and creation and validation of the abbreviated VHI.

METHODS: Clinical consensus review of the VHI items was held to prioritize the clinical value of each of the VHI items (30 items in all). Item analysis of the VHI was ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to describe a case series of patients with refractory cough and paradoxical vocal fold movement disorder treated with respiratory retraining therapy.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of a case series in a tertiary medical care center.

METHODS: Five patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux were identified with refractory cough and paradoxical fold movement disorder on transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy by a greater than 50% reduction in airway ...

The objective was to culturally adapt and validate the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) to the Greek language. The study design used was a psychometric analysis. The VHI was translated into Greek with cultural adaptations to accommodate certain words. The translated version was then completed by 67 subjects with various voice disorders and by a control group of 79 subjects. All the participants also completed a self-rating scale regarding the severity of their voice disorder. Statistical ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate changes in swallow safety and dietary status after the transcutaneous injection of botulinum toxin A into the upper esophageal sphincter in a series of outpatients with dysphagia.

STUDY DESIGN: This was an experimental, prospective, nonrandomized study.

METHODS: Patients who were at risk for aspiration and who had an unsuccessful trial of swallowing therapy were admitted to the study. All patients showed significant pooling of fluids in the ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the neuromonitoring of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) on the voice quality after mini-incision thyroidectomy under local/regional anesthesia and intravenous sedation.

METHODS: Patients undergoing mini-incision thyroidectomy under local anesthesia were prospectively randomized for either nerve monitoring of the EBSLN (group 1) or no nerve monitoring (group 2). Voice and swallowing assessment were ...

BACKGROUND: To determine the survival results, patterns of relapse, and organ preservation effects of a targeted chemoradiation protocol for patients with advanced (stage III-IV) carcinoma of the head and neck.

METHODS: Analysis of 213 patients with stage III-IV squamous cell carcinoma treated at UT Memphis between June 1993 and March 1998. Treatment included weekly intra-arterial infusions of cisplatin (150 mg/m(2)/ week x 4) rapidly delivered to the tumor bulk, simultaneous intravenous ...

BACKGROUND: During the past decade, laryngeal framework surgery has become the treatment of choice for the management of adductor paralysis of the vocal fold. The primary impetus for the use of this technique has been on the rehabilitation of voice. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effectiveness of laryngeal framework surgery, including medialization laryngoplasty with silicone (MLS), with or without arytenoid adduction (AA), on eliminating aspiration, improving diet, and ...

The voice handicap index (VHI) is one of the most widely used instruments for measuring a patient’s self-assessment of voice severity. In some ways, it reflects the patient’s quality of life. Although it has been recognized and widely applied to populations in European countries and to English speaking populations, it has not been used in its present forms in the Arabic speaking countries due to the specific language constraints of Euro-American terminology. The purposes of this study ...