Background: Sustained vowels are important vocal tasks that have been investigated in discriminating voice disorders using acoustic analysis. To date, no study has combined vowel acoustic measures only that evaluate major aspects of the pathological voice signals in voice disorder discrimination. Aims: To investigate the value of vowel acoustic…

Background: Although psychological factors have been implicated in patients with functional dysphonia (FD), conventional voice therapy (CVT) typically targets the aberrant voice symptoms exclusively. Yet, CVT is not always successful, and in view of the significant adverse quality of life impact combined with the financial burden on the healthcare…

Teachers are at high risk of voice disorders due to the heavy vocal demand of their profession as well as diverse classroom conditions that can stress the voice. Healthy vocal hygiene practices reduce this risk, but many teachers lack knowledge in these areas or have misconceptions about ways to improve their vocal health. This study aimed to…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of medical masks on the voice quality of patients with voice disorders. Method: We included 106 patients diagnosed with voice disorders. Among them, 59 were diagnosed with vocal-fold benign lesions, 27 with insufficient glottis closure, and 20 with precancerous lesions/early-stage…

Purpose: This exploratory study aims to investigate variations in voice production in the presence of background noise (Lombard effect) in individuals with nonphonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction (NPVH) and individuals with typical voices using acoustic, aerodynamic, and vocal fold vibratory measures of phonatory function. Method: Nineteen…

Background: There is a large body of research showing the negative impact of a total laryngectomy on the resultant voice signal across multiple outcomes (e.g., speech intelligibility/acceptability, listener comprehension, voice quality). However, there is limited information on the effects of laryngectomy on broader communication acts,…

Background: Acquired laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) is a rare condition that causes breathlessness and dyspnoea. Patients have reconstructive airway surgery to improve their breathing difficulties, but both LTS and the surgery can cause voice difficulties. The existing evidence base for management of voice difficulties for adults with LTS focuses…

This article reviews the elevated prevalence and complex nature of voice complaints among teachers, highlighting their profound impact on students' academic performance, teachers' well-being, and overall school productivity. The text discusses the significance of teachers as occupational voice users, provides statistics on the prevalence,…

Background: Pre- and post-operative voice therapy may improve voice and quality-of-life outcomes for patients undergoing phonosurgery to remove benign vocal fold lesions (BVFLs). However, what constitutes voice therapy in this population is poorly described, resulting in a poor evidence base, lack of clinical guidelines and unwarranted variation…

Purpose: Vocal fold asymmetry creates irregular entrainments and modulations in voice, which may lead to rough perceptual quality. The presence of asymmetry can also cause mid-phonation bifurcations where a small change in the phonatory system causes a drastic change in vibration pattern, resulting in transitions in and out of rough voice. This…

Purpose: Voice disorders are best assessed by examining vocal fold dynamics in connected speech. This can be achieved using flexible laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV), which enables us to study vocal fold mechanics with high temporal details. Analysis of vocal fold vibration using HSV requires accurate segmentation of the vocal fold edges.…

Background: Vocal fold nodules (VFNs) are the main cause of paediatric dysphonia. Voice therapy is recommended as the preferable treatment option for VFNs in children. Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of the existing literature concerning the effects of voice therapy in children with VFNs. Methods & Procedures:…

Background: Based on stakeholder conversations, speech and language therapists have anecdotally observed cases of dysphagia with suspected laryngeal hypersensitivity. These presentations have been coined as 'muscle tension dysphagia' often with concurrent laryngeal sensitivity symptoms. However, the role of laryngeal hypersensitivity in dysphagia…

Purpose: The aims of this study were to analyze and characterize the "irrintzi" (a folkloric shout emitted in a single breath used by the Basque people) acoustically and to describe the mechanism by which it is emitted. Method: Thirty-six sound samples of 12 female volunteers were analyzed. Acoustic analysis included primarily…

Background: Auditory-perceptual assessment of voice is a subjective procedure. Artificial intelligence with deep learning (DL) may improve the consistency and accessibility of this task. It is unclear how a DL model performs on different acoustic features. Aims: To develop a generalizable DL framework for identifying dysphonia using a…