Vocal Effort and Acoustic Analysis of Gargle Phonation Versus Water Swallow in Patients With Muscle Tension Dysphonia: A Clinical Trial.

Purpose: To determine the effects of gargle phonation (GP) on self-perceived vocal improvement, vocal effort, acoustic parameters, and speech rate in patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). We hypothesized that GP would improve voice, reduce phonatory effort, and alter acoustic and speech measures.

Study Design: Prospective randomized, single-blind cross-over clinical trial METHODS: Thirty-four participants (26 females, 8 males; average age 53 years) who were diagnosed with MTD completed the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and were assigned three study conditions: Baseline (B), GP, and Water Swallow (WS; sham), presented in one of two counterbalanced orders B-WS-GP (WS) or B-GP-WS (GP).

An Evaluation of Quality, Reliability, and Accuracy of Vocal Health Content on TikTok.

Objectives: Social media plays an ever-growing part in modern life and is a frequent source of health information for patients. Singers are particularly likely to receive health information solely from fellow musicians and may experience barriers to seeking vocal healthcare. However, there have been no studies to date evaluating vocal health information on social media.

Landmark-based analysis of speech differentiates conversational from clear speech in speakers with muscle tension dysphonia.

This study evaluated the feasibility of differentiating conversational and clear speech produced by individuals with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) using landmark-based analysis of speech (LMBAS). Thirty-four adult speakers with MTD recorded conversational and clear speech, with 27 of them able to produce clear speech. The recordings of these individuals were analyzed with the open-source LMBAS program, SpeechMark®, matlab Toolbox version 1.

Singing Voice Concern in Tertiary Laryngology Practice.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of patients who identify singing voice as a primary concern when presenting with general voice complaints to a voice clinic.

Methods: Data were collected from medical records on demographics, medical history, laryngoscopy exam, diagnosis, and subsequent treatments; and from self-report questionnaires including the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and clinical voice questionnaire.

Results: A total of 17% of patients presenting to a voice clinic with general voice problems who completed a VHI-10 identified singing voice as a primary concern.

Dysphagia in Parkinson's disease patients prior to deep brain stimulation: Is screening accurate?

Background: Swallowing problems are common in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of death. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery can successfully manage the motor symptoms of PD when pharmacological management begins to fail. Before DBS it is important to identify baseline dysfunction, but no consensus regarding swallowing screening exists.