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Bruce R. Gerratt University of California, Los Angeles Katherine Verdolini Abbott University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer University of Arizona, Tucson Robert E. Hillman Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Contact author: Gail B. Kempster, Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 W. Congress Parkway, 203 Senn, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: gail_b_kempster{at}rush.edu . Purpose: This article presents the development of the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) following a consensus conference on perceptual voice quality measurement sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Special Interest Division 3, Voice and Voice Disorders. The CAPE-V protocol and recording form were designed to promote a standardized approach to evaluating and documenting auditory-perceptual judgments of vocal quality. Method: A summary of the consensus conference proceedings and the factors considered by the authors in developing this instrument are included. Conclusion: The CAPE-V form and instructions, included as appendices to this article, enable clinicians to document perceived voice quality deviations following a standard (i.e., consistent and specified) protocol. Key Words: Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice, voice, voice assessment CiteULike     Connotea     Del.icio.us     Digg     Facebook     Reddit     Technorati     Twitter     What's this?

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop and test a surface electromyography (sEMG) assessment protocol to characterise the activity of the extrinsic laryngeal muscles (suprahyoid and infrahyoid) during phonatory tasks and vocal techniques. Methodology: The protocol of assessment was based on electromyographic assessment guidelines and on clinical voice evaluation needs and was tested in six healthy adults with no vocal disorders. Surface electromyographic activity of suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles was acquired during different reference tasks (rest, reading, maximum contractions) and six vocal tasks, including nasal sounds, fricatives, and semi-occluded vocal tract exercises. A laryngeal accelerometer was used for detecting the beginning and end of each exercise. The average activity during each task was normalised by the signal obtained in the incomplete swallowing task for the SHM and by the sniff technique for the IHM. Results: The range of activation values varied across tasks, with higher percentages observed in plosive production and in the “spaghetti” technique, while nasal and fricative sounds tended to show lower activation values within the group. A consistent pattern of simultaneous activation of suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles was observed during phonation. Conclusions: The protocol proved potential for clinical application in speech–language pathology as it enabled the characterisation of muscle activity in determinant muscles for vocal function. Larger samples and further validation of the time-marking system are needed. This study provides a foundation for integrating sEMG measures into functional voice assessment.

Teachers and singers have been extensively studied and are shown to have a greater tendency to voice disorders. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between subjective and objective voice analysis pre- and post-shift among teleoperators in a tertiary hospital. This was a prospective cohort study. Each patient underwent pre- and post-shift voice analysis. Among 42 teleoperators, 28 patients (66.7 per cent) completed all the tests. Female predominance (62 per cent) was noted, with a mean age of 40 years. Voice changes during working were reported by 48.1 per cent. Pre- and post-shift maximum phonation time ( < 0.018) and Voice Handicap Index-10 ( < 0.011) showed significant results with no correlation noted between subjective and objective assessment. Maximum phonation time and Voice Handicap Index-10 are good voice assessment tools. The quality of evidence is inadequate to recommend 'gold standard' voice assessment until a better-quality study has been completed.

Background: While several acoustic voice metrics are available for clinical voice assessment, there remains a significant need for reliable and ecologically valid tools. The Acoustic Voice Quality Index version 03.01 (AVQI-3) and Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) hold potential due to their comprehensive assessment approach, incorporating diverse voice aspects. However, these tools still need to be validated in English-speaking populations. Methods: This study assessed the discriminatory accuracy and validity of AVQI-3 and ABI in 197 participants, including 148 with voice disorders. Voice samples were collected, followed by AVQI-3 and ABI calculations. Additionally, auditory-perceptual assessments were conducted by a panel of speech-language pathologists. Results: AVQI-3 and ABI effectively identified disordered voice quality, evidenced by high accuracy (AUCs: 0.84, 0.89), sensitivity, and specificity (thresholds: AVQI-3 = 1.17, ABI = 2.35). Strong positive correlations were observed with subjective voice quality assessments (rs = 0.72, rs = 0.77, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The study highlights AVQI-3 and ABI as promising instruments for clinically assessing voice disorders in U.S. English speakers, underscoring their utility in clinical practice and voice research.

Voice disorders are a well-known complication which is often associated with thyroid gland diseases and because voice is still the basic mean of communication it is very important to maintain its quality healthy. The aim of this study referred to questions whether there is a statistically significant difference between results of voice self-assessment, perceptual voice assessment and acoustic voice analysis before and after thyroidectomy and whether there are statistically significant correlations between variables of voice self-assessment, perceptual assessment and acoustic analysis before and after thyroidectomy. This scientific research included 12 participants aged between 41 and 76. Voice self-assessment was conducted with the help of Croatian version of Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Recorded reading samples were used for perceptual assessment and later evaluated by two clinical speech and language therapists. Recorded samples of phonation were used for acoustic analysis which was conducted with the help of acoustic program Praat. All of the data was processed through descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistical methods. Results showed that there are statistically significant differences between results of voice self-assessments and results of acoustic analysis before and after thyroidectomy. Statistically significant correlations were found between variables of perceptual assessment and acoustic analysis. Obtained results indicate the importance of multidimensional, preoperative and postoperative assessment. This kind of assessment allows the clinician to describe all of the voice features and provides appropriate recommendation for further rehabilitation to the patient in order to optimize voice outcomes.

Significant findings of the study: Higher EAT‐10 and VHI‐10 scores independently predict the need for surgical voice restoration in UVFI patients. Patient‐reported outcomes provide a robust, standardized method for assessing surgical intervention needs. What this study adds: This study quantifies the predictive value of EAT‐10 and VHI‐10 scores, highlighting their importance in clinical decision‐making. Validated tools like EAT‐10 and VHI‐10 can guide counseling and treatment planning in UVFI management.

Purpose: The Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) was developed to provide a protocol and form for clinicians to use when assessing the voice quality of adults with voice disorders (Kempster, Gerratt, Verdolini Abbott, Barkmeier-Kramer, & Hillman, 2009). This study examined the reliability and the empirical validity of the CAPE-V when used by experienced voice clinicians judging normal and disordered voices. Method: The validity of the CAPE-V was examined in 2 ways. First, we compared judgments made by 21 raters of 22 normal and 37 disordered voices using the CAPE-V and the GRBAS (grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain; see Hirano, 1981) scales. Second, we compared our raters' judgments of overall severity to a priori consensus judgments of severity for the 59 voices. Results: Intrarater reliability coefficients for the CAPE-V ranged from 0.82 for breathiness to 0.35 for strain; interrater reliability ranged from 0.76 for overall severity to 0.28 for pitch. Conclusions: Although both CAPE-V and GRBAS reliability coefficients varied across raters and parameters, this study reports slightly improved rater reliability using the CAPE-V to make perceptual judgments of voice quality in comparison to the GRBAS scale. The results provide evidence for the empirical (concurrent) validity of the CAPE-V. (Contains 8 tables.)

To investigate microstructural changes in spasmodic dysphonia (SD) patients applying diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) data. DKI (b-values = 0, 1,000, and 2,000 s/mm 2 ) was performed for 20 SD patients and 20 controls. DKI parameters including kurtosis fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion (MD), and mean kurtosis (MK). The correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between changes in FA and clinical measures. Compared to healthy controls, SD patients showed significantly reduced FA and increased MD in the white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM). Increases of MK had broader distributions than MD. In the WM, the FA and MD of frontal and jitter values had significant inverse correlations in SD patients. The FA and MD were negative correlated with grade, and the FA in the frontal region had a negative correlation with asthenia. Patients with SD exhibited microstructural changes in brain regions in charge of motor conduction and auditory functions. The WM diffusion metric changes had negative correlations with clinical symptoms of SD. The brain changes could modify the central control of voluntary vocalizations and may consequently be the pathophysiologic reason for SD.

Purpose This study examined and compared the diagnostic accuracy and correlation levels of the acoustic parameters of the audio recordings obtained from smartphones on two operating systems and from dynamic and condenser types of external microphones. Method The study included 87 adults: 57 with voice disorder and 30 with a healthy voice. Each participant was asked to perform a sustained vowel phonation (/a/). The recordings were taken simultaneously using five microphones AKG-P220, Shure-SM58, Samson Go Mic, Apple iPhone 6, and Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro microphones in an acoustically insulated cabinet. Acoustic examinations were performed using Praat version 6.2.09. The data were examined using Pearson correlation and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Results The parameters with the highest area under curve (AUC) values among all microphone recordings in the time-domain analyses were the frequency perturbation parameters. Additionally, considering the correlation coefficients obtained by synchronizing the microphones with each other and the AUC values together, the parameter with the highest correlation coefficient and diagnostic accuracy values was the jitter-local parameter. Conclusion Period-to-period perturbation parameters obtained from audio recordings made with smartphones show similar levels of diagnostic accuracy to external microphones used in clinical conditions.

Any changes in voice can affect the quality of life by limiting the individual in activity participation. It is important to evaluate the individual’s perception about their changes in voice rather than any objective measures. Despite of 43.63% Hindi speaking population in India there was no any self-assessment scale on which individual can express their functional, physical and emotional related impact due to voice disorder. To adapt and validate self-assessment tool Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-10 in Hindi. In this cross-sectional study, items were taken from VHI-10 English and were adapted in HindiVHI-10 Hindi was administered on participants after taking consent, these were taken from ENT outpatient, private clinic, speech and language department. Tool has been administered on 242 subjects consists of Group I- Control group and Group II- Dysphonic group. the study was completed in three phases: I Translation and Adaptation, II Administration, III Standardization. Out of total ten items, seven items were changed for better comprehensibility. The validity score (0.97) was highly significant, even difference between scores of both the groups were statistically significant ( p  = 0.001). The correlation of age and gender was not significantly observed. The adapted VHI-10 Hindi is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the impact of voice disorders across three domains: Functional, Physical, and Emotional. It helps to understand how changes in voice affect an individual’s daily life beyond just the pathological aspects, thereby guiding tailored management strategies.