Words for clinical use in speech-language pathology in Brazilian portuguese-speaking children: a focus on familiarity and representativeness from expert judges.

Thyroidectomy is the most used surgical technique for conditions affecting the thyroid gland, totally or partially resecting it depending on the extent of the disease. In many cases, these patients exhibit a range of symptoms affecting voice and swallowing. Changes in voice and swallowing may result from damage to the laryngeal nerves, particularly the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) or the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN). However, other possible etiologies are also observed for the condition known as post-thyroidectomy syndrome, such as trauma to the arytenoid cartilage; laryngotracheal fixation of the muscles involved due to postoperative adhesions; reduced laryngeal elevation; lesions of the extrinsic perithyroid nerve plexus; and edema and trauma to the cricothyroid muscle. Thus, studies demonstrate that thyroidectomy can impair the voice and compromise the functioning of the oropharyngeal-laryngeal system. The most reported symptoms among the main ones are hoarseness, vocal fatigue, a deep voice, difficulty speaking loudly, a foreign body sensation in the pharynx, choking, throat clearing during swallowing, and a dry throat.