Hoarseness: What you need to know

1. What is hoarseness?

Hoarseness is an abnormal change in the voice caused by various factors, most commonly voice overuse, smoking, coughing, or reflux.

Common conditions that cause hoarseness include laryngitis, vocal nodules, vocal polyps, vocal cord paralysis, and tumors.

2. Common benign lesions that cause hoarseness

Vocal nodules: Caused by voice overuse, resulting in bilateral vocal nodules at the areas where the vocal cords have the most contact with each other.

Vocal polyps: Smooth, fluid-filled lesions that typically occur on one vocal cord.

Vocal cysts: Cystic lesions that usually contain fluid and occur on one vocal cord.

Reinke's edema: A lesion caused by fluid accumulation in Reinke's space, commonly associated with cigarette smoke. When these lesions persist and do not respond to medical treatment, surgery may be required.

3. What are other causes of hoarseness?

Laryngitis: Inflammation of the vocal cords caused by infection, voice overuse, reflux, and other factors.

Vocal cord paralysis: May be caused by viral infection, neurological disorders, trauma, surgery, stroke, and other conditions.

Laryngeal cancer.

4. How is hoarseness diagnosed?

All patients with hoarseness lasting more than 2 weeks should undergo an examination by an otolaryngologist and laryngeal endoscopy.

Diagnostic tools that may help identify the cause include ultrasound, MRI, head and neck CT scans, stroboscopy, biopsy, and others.

5. How is hoarseness treated?

Depending on the cause, type of lesion, severity, and other factors, patients may receive medical or surgical treatment.

• Medical treatment
• Treatment of the underlying cause: antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, anti-reflux medications, and others.
• Supportive treatment:
  • Vocal hygiene: Adjust daily activities and work habits, avoid cigarette smoke, avoid voice overuse, avoid drinking iced or very cold beverages, and keep the larynx adequately humidified.
  • Voice therapy
• Surgery:

Microlaryngeal surgery is used to completely remove or biopsy lesions located in the larynx.

• REMS: A laryngeal surgical technique that uses a microscope or endoscope to magnify the vocal cords, allowing lesions to be visualized clearly and therefore removed precisely while minimizing trauma to the vocal cords.
  • This procedure is used to remove benign lesions such as vocal nodules, vocal cysts, and vocal polyps. It can also be used to remove laryngeal tumors and may be combined with laser treatment.

The information above is for reference purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please contact your doctor for detailed medical consultation.