Psychogenic background of minimal associated pathological lesions of the vocal folds

There is clear clinical evidence that psychosocial factors may be encountered in the pathogenesis of some types of the Minimal Associated Pathological Lesions (MAPLs) of the vocal folds. The purpose of this study was to assess cases of MAPLs of the vocal folds in order to explore the role of psychogenic stress in the pathogenesis of this clinical entity. To reach our goal, 100 patients with MAPLs of the vocal folds were subjected to both voice and psychiatric protocols of assessment and the results obtained were compared with the results of 50 normal individuals who were subjected to the same assessment protocols. The results showed that there were significant differences between both groups in some of the psychiatric scales. The results indicate that there is an evident psychogenic background for certain types of MAPLs of the vocal folds, namely: vocal folds nodules, vocal folds polyps and contact granuloma. This may necessitate a combined therapeutic program of behavior readjustment voice therapy as well as psychiatric management for these cases to get the best results and avoid relapse.