Laryngeal cytological aspects in women with surgically induced menopause who were treated with transdermal estrogen replacement therapy

• Published in: Fertility and sterility Vol. 74; no. 6; pp. 1073 - 1079
• Main Authors: Caruso, Salvatore, Roccasalva, Lucia, Sapienza, Gloria, Zappalá, Maria, Nuciforo, Giuseppe, Biondi, Salvatore
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.12.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Administration, Cutaneous; Biological and medical sciences; cytology; ERT; Estrogen Replacement Therapy; Female; Hormones. Endocrine system; Humans; Hysterectomy; larynx; Larynx - cytology; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Ovariectomy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; postmenopause; Postmenopause - physiology; Prospective Studies; Reference Values; Vagina - cytology; Vaginal Smears; larynx; cytology; postmenopause; ERT; Human; Replacement therapy; Estrogen; Cytology; Vagina; Vocal cord; Estradiol; Ovarian hormone; Percutaneous route; Female genital system; Smear; Postmenopause; Epithelial cell; Female; Larynx; Sex steroid hormone
• ISSN: 0015-0282; 1556-5653
• DOI: 10.1016/S0015-0282(00)01582-X

Objective: To investigate the effects of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) on laryngeal cytology in postmenopausal women. Design: Prospective open clinical trial. Setting: Outpatient menopausal clinic in the Department of Gynecology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Patient(s): Eighty-four healthy, surgically postmenopausal women, of whom 48 were treated with ERT and 36 were considered as a control group. Intervention(s): Transdermal E 2 treatment by patches or gel, evaluation of laryngeal cytology with cytobrush by indirect laryngoscopy, and questionnaire for the voice history. Main Outcome Measure(s): Changes in cytologic aspects of laryngeal cells with respect to vaginal cytology by hematoxylin and eosin staining; subjective voice changes. Result(s): Sixty-seven women completed the study. Ten women from the ERT group and five from the control group dropped out because of the invasive laryngoscope method; two subjects in the control group were excluded because of pathologies of the vocal cord. Hematoxylin and eosin staining confirmed similar superficial-intermediate aspects of the cells between the laryngeal and the vaginal smears in ERT-treated women. In the control group, both smears showed aspects of atrophy-dystrophy. The ERT group had a subjectively better quality of voice than the control group. Conclusion(s): Our study confirms that the larynx is an estrogen target, as are vaginal cells. ERT may provide prevention and treatment of dystrophic pathologies of the vocal cords in postmenopausal women.