Abstract: Objective To investigate the morphological characteristics of the larynx and the acoustic characteristics of the voice of elderly patients with benign laryngopharyngeal lesions. Methods We included 101 elderly patients with benign laryngopharyngeal lesions(age ≥60 years, 54 males, 47 females)from July 14, 2020 to November 30, 2020 in our outpatient clinic. All the patients underwent an electronic nasopharyngolaryngoscope, RSI(Reflux Symptoms Index), RFS(Reflux Findings Score), dynamic laryngoscope, and voice acoustic analysis. Results Elderly males significantly complained more of hoarseness than elderly females(53.7% in males and 29.8% in females), and the number of elderly males with complaints of pharyngeal pain or pharyngeal foreign body sensation was slightly lower than females(8.5%∶13.0%, 16.7%∶27.7%, respectively). The proportion of elderly patients with gastric diseases was 53.7% for men and 48.9% for women. The proportion of elderly men and women with hypertension or other complications was almost equal. A relatively higher proportion of elderly men had vocal cord insufficiency or mucosal wave attenuation dynamic laryngoscopic examination than women(27.8%∶10.6%, 48.1%∶38.3% respectively). There was no difference between the RSI scores of elderly patients with a history of smoking or drinking and those without, whereas the RFS scores of elderly patients with a history of smoking and drinking were significantly higher than those without(P=0.001, P=0.001). The vocal analysis of elderly patients revealed that sex, nasal diseases, and bad habits of smoking and drinking influence the acoustic parameters of the voice. Conclusion There were more characteristic morphological laryngeal changes in elderly men with benign laryngopharyngeal lesions than in women. The abnormal acoustic parameters of the aged voice are affected by multiple factors.

Key words: Elderly patients with benign laryngopharyngeal lesions, Dynamic laryngoscope, Voice acoustic analysis, Reflux symptoms index, Reflux finding score