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.