Values of Acoustic Analysis in Cases of Hyperfunctional Dysphonia
/ 0
- Details
- Category: Vol. 78, March 2010
- Hits: 811
Values of Acoustic Analysis in Cases of Hyperfunctional Dysphonia, HEMMAT M. BAZ, RANA A. KHALIFA and AMAL S. ABDEL HALEEM
Abstract
Objective tools for evaluating and measuring voice signals must have clear relevance, meaning that it should be able to demonstrate features of vocal tract functioning that are known to be implicated in dysfunction. From that point of view, this study was conducted over 152 subjects (50 as control group and 102 were complaining of hyperfunctional dysphonia). Their voices were analyzed using Multi-dimensional voice program (MDVP). The perceptual ratings scales in addition to the glottic pictures of patients were tested for correlation with obtained acoustic parameters. On summarizing results, Jitter percent showed high significance when correlated to the grade of dysphonia, leaky and strained characters, while Jitter percent, NHR, RAP and APQ showed high significance when correlated to irregular voice character. Comparing cases without glottic phonatory gaps with those having phonatory gaps as regard acoustic parameters, there was a significant difference in shimmer percent only (p=0.41), while other acoustic parameters showed no difference. These results denote that Jitter, Shimmer percents, NHR, RAP and APQ are important acoustic factors contributing to the pathological voice but not differentiating voice characters. These results limit their role to differentiate the different phonatory patterns and voice qualities.
Conclusion: The judgment of voice quality is primarily a perceptual matter. Skilled listeners' judgments about voice are considered the standard against which other quantitative measures are evaluated.