Acoustic voice analysis of patients with vocal fold polyp.

Objectives: The aim of the investigation was to obtain acoustic correlates of the vocal quality of patients with vocal polyps, before and after the endolaryngeal phonomicrosurgery (EPM).

Methods: Acoustic voice tests were carried out on 46 female patients with vocal fold polyp, before the EPM intervention and 3 weeks after its completion. Acoustic voice parameters were compared with the control group without voice pathology. The results of the investigation were analyzed acoustically.

Results: The results showed that jitter (%), shimmer (%), fundamental frequency variation (vF(0)), voice turbulence index (VTI), pitch perturbation quotient (PPQ), amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ), and NHR values significantly differentiate the patients with vocal fold polyps from a control group without any pathological changes in the larynx. All of the analyzed parameters improved significantly (P<0.05) after the phonomicrosurgical intervention and tended to reach normal values.

Conclusions: The acoustic voice analysis may be used for presurgical and postsurgical voice-status evaluation.