Acoustic and perceptual analysis of voice quality in patients with puberphonia before and after vocal therapy

Abstract

SUMMARY Background Puberphonia is a functional voice disorder characterised by inability to change voice frequency from higher, pre-adolescent voice, to lower frequency of adolescent and adult voice. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of speech pathologist voice therapy in patients with puberphonia. Methods This study included 19 patients suffering from puberphonia. Voice characteristics of all patients were assessed by objective and subjective methods before and after voice therapy. Objective assessment of voice included acoustic analysis of phonation of the vowel / a / and was done using the PRAAT program, which calculated the following parameters: fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics to noise ratio. The perceptual assessment of voice quality was evaluated using GRBAS scale. Validated Croatian version of the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI) was used for subjective self-assessment of the severity of vocal symptoms. Results Patients phonation frequency statistically significantly decreased after the therapy from 209.16 (± 8. 80) Hz to 132.32 (±7.48) Hz, ( p < 0.0001). There were statistically significant differences between pre- and post-treatment values of other parameters of acoustic analysis (jitter, shimmer, harmonic to noise ratio). Results of GRBAS scale and VHI questionnaire also showed statistically significant reduction after the treatment. Conclusion Acoustic analysis and perceptual assessment of voice are adequate methods for analysis of voice characteristics of patients suffering from puberphonia and for evaluation of the effects of voice therapy. Voice therapy is highly effective in the treatment of puberphonia and is considered a method of choice.