Pitch Perturbation Measures of Voice Production of Laryngectomees After the Amatsu Tracheoesophageal Shunt Operation

Abstract

Twenty tracheoesophageal speakers, 5 esophageal speakers, and 10 laryngeal speakers were subjected to pitch perturbation measurement in the sustained vowel production. Mean jitter, jitter ratio, average perturbation, and relative average perturbation were calculated from the successive vocal period. Jitter ratio values were 9.7 for laryngeal speakers, 29.6 for tracheoesophageal speakers, and 58.3 for esophageal speakers. Relative average perturbation values were 6.1 X 10(-3) for laryngeal speakers, 18.2 X 10(-3) for tracheoesophageal speakers, and 38.1 X 10(-3) for esophageal speakers. Results indicate that tracheoesophageal speech using exhaled pulmonary air is more stable than conventional esophageal speech.