Usefulness of Direct Magnitude Estimation (DME) and Acoustic Analysis in Measuring Dysphonia Severity.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were (1) to analyze the reliability of direct magnitude estimation (DME) in auditory perceptual assessments measuring dysphonia severity and (2) to analyze the relationship between DME and four acoustic parameters (cepstral peak prominence [CPP], cepstral peak prominence-smoothed [CPPs], Acoustic Voice Quality Index [AVQI], and Acoustic Breathiness Index [ABI]) and (3) to predict dysphonia severity based on DME using four acoustic parameters.

Study Design: One hundred and sixty-one voice samples for dysphonia patients were used. In this study, we combined sustained vowel samples and connected speech samples using the Praat software to make the concatenated samples for implementing acoustic analysis and auditory perceptual assessments.

Validation and Development of Voice Handicap Index-Throat for Koreans.

Introduction: This study aimed to develop, validate, and analyze the reliability of the Korean version of the Voice Handicap Index-Throat (VHI-Tk).

Methods: This prospective study included 103 patients in the case group with voice problems (18 with functional dysphonia, 44 with mass in the larynx, 18 with neurological voice disorder, 23 with throat problems) and 27 in the control group without voice problems. All participants completed these questionnaires at their initial visit: the Korean version of the Voice Handicap Index (K-VHI), VHI-Tk, and the Korean version of the Voice Symptom Scale (K-VoiSS).

A Cepstral Analysis of Pathological Voice Quality in the Korean Population using Praat.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the reference values for cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and smoothed CPP (CPPS) measured using Praat in Korean speakers with the normal, healthy and pathological voice.

Methods: A total of 4,524 Korean participants with vocally healthy (n = 410) and dysphonic voices (n = 4,114) participated in this study. The speech task consisted of a sustained vowel /a/ and a sentence reading the Korean passage "Walk".

Resonance Characteristics in Epiglottic Cyst: Formant Frequency, Vowel Space Area, Vowel Articulatory Index, and Formant Centralization Ratio.

Objectives: Resonance characteristics can change due to alterations in the shape of the vocal tract in patients with epiglottic cysts. This study aimed to analyze the resonance characteristics before and after the surgical excision of epiglottic cysts.

Methods: Twelve male patients with epiglottic cysts were enrolled in this study.

The Usefulness of Multi Voice Evaluation for Measuring Voice Recovery After Endolaryngeal Phonomicrosurgery in Patients with Vocal Fold Polyps.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to the usefulness of a five-variable model predicting perceived voice severity and incorporating acoustic analysis based on cepstral analysis and self-reported questionnaires, for measuring voice recovery after endolaryngeal phonomicrosurgery in patients with vocal fold polyps.

Methods: In this study, 72 patients with vocal fold polyps were included. Two voice evaluations, including acoustic analysis, self-reported questionnaires, and auditory perceptual assessments for each patient, were implemented before and after endolaryngeal phonomicrosurgery.

The usefulness of multi voice evaluation: Development of a model for predicting a degree of dysphonia.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were (1) to analyze the usefulness of self-report questionnaires, acoustic analysis, and auditory perceptual assessment for screening voice problems; and (2) to develop a new model for predicting a comprehensive voice severity using multi-assessment.

Methods: A total of 306 voice samples were analyzed in this study (typical group, n = 72; dysphonia group, n = 234). We performed a receiver operating characteristic analysis to determine the cutoff values of auditory perceptual assessments (visual analog scale), acoustic parameters (spectral- and cepstral-based analyses), and self-report questionnaires for screening voice disorders.

The validity of the Acoustic Breathiness Index in the evaluation of breathy voice quality: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: The evaluation of voice quality with acoustic measurements is useful to objectify the diagnostic process. Particularly, breathiness was highly evaluated and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) might have promising features.

Objective Of Review: The goal of the present meta-analysis is to quantify, from existing cross-validation studies, the evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of ABI, including its sensitivity and specificity.

Clinical Significance of the Preoperative Thyroidectomy-Related Voice Questionnaire Score in Thyroid Surgery.

Background: The thyroidectomy-related voice questionnaire (TVQ) is an efficient screening tool for detecting postoperative vocal dysfunction. The aim of this study was to confirm the significance of the preoperative TVQ score in thyroid surgery.

Methods: We examined 180 women who underwent total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection from March 2014 to May 2016.

The Usefulness of Auditory Perceptual Assessment and Acoustic Analysis as a Screening Test for Voice Problems.

Background/aims: The aims of study were (1) to determine the cut-off values of parameters related to auditory perceptual assessment (visual analog scale [VAS]) and acoustic analysis (cepstral peak prominence [CPP], low-frequency/high-frequency [L/H] ratio, CPP SD, L/H ratio SD, acoustic voice quality index [AVQI], and cepstral spectral index of dysphonia [CSID]) for predicting voice problems within a Korean population, and (2) to verify the discriminative power of these cut-off values.

Methods: 1,113 voice samples were analyzed in this study. Perceptual assessments (VAS) were performed by 5 speech-language pathologists.

Validation of Acoustic Voice Quality Index Version 3.01 and Acoustic Breathiness Index in Korean Population.

Objectives: This study aimed to verify the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) version 3.01 and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) as tools for acoustic analyses in the Korean language.

Methods: Concatenated voice samples of sustained vowels (SV) and continuous speech (CS) were collected from 151 subjects with dysphonia and 71 vocally healthy subjects.

Comparison of Cepstral Analysis Based on Voiced-Segment Extraction and Voice Tasks for Discriminating Dysphonic and Normophonic Korean Speakers.

Objectives: This study investigated whether there are differences in the discriminatory power of cepstral analysis according to the voiced-segment extraction method and voice tasks used for identifying dysphonic and normophonic Korean individuals.

Materials And Methods: A total of 2,863 subjects (2,595 subjects with and 268 subjects without dysphonia) were included in this study. The 3-second sustained vowel (SV) /a/ and one sentence of "Sanchaek" were edited and analyzed using Praat scripts.

Korean Voice Catastrophization Index (K-VCI): Validation of the Voice Catastrophization Index for Koreans.

Objective: The purpose of present study was to validate a Korean version of the Voice Catastrophization Index for assessing catastrophization in patients with voice problems in a Korean population.

Methods: Case group patients with voice problems (n = 80) and control group patients without voice problems (n = 25) participated in the study. They were asked to complete three questionnaires: Korean Voice Handicap Index, Korean Voice-Related Quality of Life, and Korean Voice Catastrophization Index (K-VCI).

The Usefulness of Auditory Perceptual Assessment and Acoustic Analysis for Classifying the Voice Severity.

Objective: The aims of this study were to (1) to determine the cut-off values of parameters related to auditory perceptual assessment (visual analog scale) and acoustic analysis (cepstral peak prominence, low frequency/high frequency ratio, cepstral peak prominence standard deviation, low frequency/high frequency ratio standard deviation, acoustic voice quality index, and cepstral spectral index of dysphonia) for predicting the voice severity within a Korean population; and (2) to verify the discriminative power of these cut-off values.

Methods: Voice samples of 1,029 subjects who visited Pusan National University Hospital, South Korea to be treated for swallowing or voice evaluation from January 2018 to December 2018 were analyzed in this retrospective study. The acoustic analysis of cepstral parameters, cepstral spectral index of dysphonia, and acoustic voice quality index were calculated using the Computerized Speech Lab and Praat software.

Voice Recovery in a Patient with Inhaled Laryngeal Burns.

Introduction: Laryngeal burns cause long-term voice disorders due to mucosal changes of the vocal folds. Inhalation injuries affect voice production and result in changes in the mucosal thickness and voice quality.

Case Report: A 47-year-old woman was transferred to our department with laryngeal burns sustained during a house fire.

Effects of Injection Laryngoplasty with Hyaluronic Acid in Patients with Vocal Fold Paralysis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of injection laryngoplasty (IL) with hyaluronic acid in patients with vocal fold paralysis (VFP).

Methods: A total of 50 patients with VFP participated in this study. Pre- and post-IL assessments were performed, which included analyzing the sustained vowel /a/ phonation, and the patient reading 1 Korean sentence from the "Walk" passage that comprised 25 syllables in 10 words.

Comparison of Two Versions of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index for Quantification of Dysphonia Severity.

Objectives: The acoustic voice quality index (AVQI) is a specific acoustic indicator designed to objectively estimate dysphonia severity and measure the values of acoustic parameters based on the diagnostic category. This study compared the performance of two AVQI versions (2.02 and 3.

Validation of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index in the Korean Language.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the concurrent validity of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) in a Korean population. We investigated the feasibility of its cutoff values and diagnostic accuracy in discriminating between normal and dysphonic voices.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1,524 native Korean subjects with normal voices (n = 113) and with voice disorders (n = 1,411) were asked to speak and sustain the vowel "a" and to read the Korean text "Walk" aloud.

Usefulness of Two-Dimensional Digital Kymography in Patients With Vocal Fold Scarring.

Objective: Although laryngeal videostroboscopy is widely utilized in the analysis of vocal fold vibrations, it is often difficult to identify patterns of vocal fold vibrations in patients with aperiodic voice signals due to failure of synchronization during laryngeal videostroboscopy examination. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the usefulness of simultaneous two-dimensional digital kymography (2D DKG) and traditional DKG for the detection of changes in the pattern of vocal fold vibrations in patients with vocal fold scarring (VFS).

Methods: Seven patients with VFS and one normal subject underwent high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV).

Acoustic Characteristics in Epiglottic Cyst.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the acoustic characteristics associated with alternation deformation of the vocal tract due to large epiglottic cyst, and to confirm the relation between the anatomical change and resonant function of the vocal tract.

Methods: Eight men with epiglottic cyst were enrolled in this study. The jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio, and first two formants were analyzed in vowels /a:/, /e:/, /i:/, /o:/, and /u:/.

The cut-off analysis using visual analogue scale and cepstral assessments on severity of voice disorder.

The aims of this study were to: (1) determine the visual analogue scale (VAS) and cepstrum peak prominence (CPP) cut-off points on the ratings of numerical scale (NS) related to the severity of voice disorder ratings and (2) verify the discriminative power of these cut-off points for distinguishing between different severities of voice disorder. Auditory-perceptual severity assessments (VAS and four-point NS) of 214 voice samples were performed by three speech-language pathologists and CPP parameters were used for the acoustic analysis. Both VAS and CPP cut-off points were obtained using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, based on their correspondence with NS ratings.

Real-time dual visualization of two different modalities for the evaluation of vocal fold vibration - Laryngeal videoendoscopy and 2D scanning videokymography: Preliminary report.

Objective: Currently, various tools have been introduced for the assessment of vocal fold vibration: laryngeal videolaryngoscopy (LV), videokymography (VKG), high speed videoendoscopy (HSV), digital videokymography (DKG), and 2D scanning videokymography (2D VKG). Among these, the authors have recently designed a dual modality examination system using LV and 2D VKG for more detailed information regarding the vibrations of the vocal folds. The clinical availability of this hybrid system offers medical imaging departments a range of potential advantages in the evaluation of vocal fold vibration.

Development of a device for real-time light-guided vocal fold injection: A preliminary report.

Objectives/hypothesis: Vocal fold injection is a minimally invasive technique for various vocal fold pathologies. The shortcomings of the cricothyroid (CT) membrane approach are mainly related to invisibility of the injection needle. If localization of the needle tip can be improved during vocal fold injection with the CT approach, the current problems of the technique can be overcome.

Imaging and Analysis of Human Vocal Fold Vibration Using Two-Dimensional (2D) Scanning Videokymography.

Objective: Laryngeal videokymography and high-speed digital kymography are the currently available techniques for studying aperiodic vibration of the vocal folds. However, videokymography has a fundamental limitation that only linear portions of the vocal fold mucosa can be visualized, whereas high-speed digital kymography has the disadvantages of lack of immediate feedback during examination and considerable waiting time before kymographic visualization. We developed a new system, two-dimensional (2D) scanning videokymography, that provides a possible alternative for evaluation of the vibratory pattern of the vocal folds.

Changes and recovery of voice quality after sinonasal surgery.

Changes in the configuration of sinonasal cavity after surgery have been assumed to cause changes in the voice quality. The purpose of this study was to know when the hypernasality will be recovered after sinonsal surgery in patients with nasal septal deviation or chronic rhinosinusitis by checking long-term and serially obtained nasalance scores using nasometer. Sixty-five patients underwent sinonasal surgery were included.