A phrase captures aerodynamic and acoustic data in healthy voice users and in patients with voice disorders

Abstract

Purpose: A voice evaluation typically involves aerodynamic and acoustic measures captured through repeated /pi/s. The current study addresses the need for a more functional utterance that better approximates connected speech.Methods: Healthy voice users and patients with voice disorders produced repeated /pi/s and a phrase, “Pooh, pay Pia pea pie,” into the Phonatory Aerodynamic System across two trials.Results: In Experiment 1 with healthy voice users, subglottic pressure (Ps), airflow, fundamental frequency (F0), and sound pressure level (SPL) demonstrated strong reliability for speech tasks and trials. Laryngeal resistance (LR) demonstrated inconsistent reliability. In Experiment 2, patients with voice disorders completed pre and post voice therapy measures of Ps, airflow, LR, F0, SPL, and the Voice Handicap Index. Results demonstrated that all of the measures captured a significant difference from pre to post except LR in both women and men and F0 in women.Conclusions: The study suggests that the phrase was successful in capturing reliable aerodynamic and acoustic data in healthy voice users and significant changes from pre to post in patients with voice disorders. In addition, analyzing Ps and airflow independently may be more clinically useful than the combination of the two in LR.