Bengal Journal of Otolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery (Jun 2013)
Quantitative Assessment of voice by Acoustic Analysis in patients undergoing Microlaryngeal Surgery for vocal cord nodules
Abstract
Abstract Objective: To assess the usefulness of acoustic analysis of voice in patients undergoing microiaryngeal surgery at R.G Kar Medical College and to support the current practice of subjective voice evaluation in such patients. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out at R.G. Kar Medical College involving 17 patients undergoing microiaryngeal surgery for benign vocal cord lesions in the department of Otorhinolaryngology. Using Dr. Speech software, pre-operative and 6 weeks post-operative acoustic analysis of voice of each patient was done and the data thus collected was statistically analysed and evaluated. Results: Astatistical significant change occurs in the basic voice parameters postoperatively.Meanfundamental frequecy changed from 226.40 to 198.60, mean standard deviation of fundamental frequency changed from 3.18 to 2.50, mean jitter from 0.56 to 0.37, mean shimmer from 4.43 to 3.00, Singnal to noise ratio (SNR) from 16.48 to 20.98 and Harmonic to noise ratio (HNR) from 16.5 to 20.57. These changes reflect an improvement in voice quality, hoarseness and roughness with lesser perturbations during speech. Conclusion: Voice is amulti-dimensionalmodality. Perceptual evaluation of voice by itself is not sufficient.Acoustic analysis of voice shouldbeusedby surgeons to supplement theperceptual analysis in bothpre-operative andpost-operativeperiod. Keywords: Acoustic analysis; micro Laryngeal surgery; post-operative assessment.
