Lump at the back of my tongue. The lingual thyroid-A case report and narrative review of literature.

Although the ectopic thyroid in adults is rarely symptomatic, biochemistry and imaging workup are essential. Treatment modality of choice is dependent on patient factors, institution factors and surgeon factors. The mainstay treatment involves hormone suppression treatment with exogenous thyroid hormone. If medical management is unsuccessful, surgical excision requires an experienced team including an anaesthetist and otolaryngologist. Anaesthetic considerations are important because intubation may be a potentially difficult procedure secondary to potential serious obstruction of the upper airway. We present a case report and narrative review of the literature regarding lingual thyroid workup and management.

The effectiveness of a voice treatment approach for teachers with self-reported voice problems.

SUMMARY: Teachers are considered the professional group most at risk of developing voice-problems, but limited treatment effectiveness evidence exists. We studied prospectively the effectiveness of a 6-week combined treatment approach using vocal function exercises (VFEs) and vocal hygiene (VH) education with 20 teachers with self-reported voice problems. Twenty subjects were randomly assigned to a no-treatment control (n = 11) and a treatment group (n = 9). Fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation was carried out on all subjects before randomization. Two self-report voice outcome measures were used: the Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and the Voice Symptom Severity Scale (VoiSS). A Voice Care Knowledge Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), developed specifically for the study, was also used to evaluate change in selected voice knowledge areas. A Student unpaired t test revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.05) improvement in the treatment group as measured by the VoiSS. There was not a significant improvement in the treatment group as measured by the V-RQOL. The difference in voice care knowledge areas was also significant for the treatment group (P < 0.05). This study suggests that a voice treatment approach of VFEs and VH education improved self-reported voice symptoms and voice care knowledge in a group of teachers.