Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP): Factor Analysis

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile into Brazilian Portuguese

PURPOSE

To cross-culturally adapt the Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP) into Brazilian Portuguese (BP).

METHODS

The cross-cultural adaptation process was performed in five stages: translation of the IVQLP into BP by three native BP experts fluent in American English; preparation of a consensus version; back-translation by a native American English expert fluent in BP; analysis by a committee of five experts and preparation of the final version of the instrument in BP, which was named IVQLP-Br; and pre-testing. The IVQLP-Br aims to assess the impacts of the voice more comprehensively, encompassing various areas of an individual's life. It has 43 items and a five-level response key. For the pre-test, the alternative "not applicable" was added as a response option. Thirty-six adults with self-reported risk of dysphonia participated in the pre-test.

RESULTS

In the translation stage, ten items were modified, and during the back-translation, 15 items required adjustments. No questions required reformulation after the application of the IVQLP-Br in the target population, because the option "not applicable" appeared in 12 responses without statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

The version of the IVQLP translated into BP, named the IVQLP-Br, exhibited cross-cultural equivalence and was administrable for a more detailed analysis of the impact of the voice in different domains of an individual's life. After validation, the IVQLP-Br will be able to contribute both to clinical practice and to research with BP speakers.

Outcomes of Cricothyroid Visor Maneuver (CVM) for Treatment of Vocal Polyp: A Case Report

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is the clinical investigation of a patient with a vocal fold polyp, and the visual, acoustical, perceptual, and self-report changes before and after using the cricothyroid visor manoeuvre (CVM).

DESIGN

A 48-year-old female university professor, gynecologist, and obstetrician with a history of laryngopharyngeal reflux and a left vocal polyp participated. Treatment was provided in 10 sessions. Pre- and post-treatment audio recordings of sustained vowels, selected sentences, and connected speech samples were submitted to auditory-perceptual and acoustical analysis to assess the effects of the two-treatment program. Also, laryngoscopic images, perceptions by the patient about her voice quality and quality of life before and after therapy were assessed.

RESULTS

Improvements in acoustic parameters were obtained especially in perturbation and CCPS parameters. The overall voice quality scores on the CAPE-V were moderate before therapy and became mild after therapy. Laryngoscopy images demonstrated improvement in the glottis closure configuration in two phases (open and close) in pre- and post- CVM therapy and a decrease in polyp size. The patient had improvement in VAS, IVQLP, and VRQOL scores.

CONCLUSION

The CVM therapy used in the study resulted in positive changes in acoustic and perceptual-auditory aspects of voice production, self-report, and QOL for the patient. The CVM approach appears to have been effective for this case in decreasing the polyp size or its regression or for vocal adaptation.

Correlation of the Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP) with Acoustic Measurements across Three Common Voice Disorders

OBJECTIVES

The Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP) is a recent culture-based developed tool for assessing the quality of life of dysphonic patients. The research questions addressed here are as follows: (1) Are the correlations between IVQLP scores and values of objective voice measures? (2) Do the correlations differ across the three different voice disorders?

METHODS

The subjects were divided into three groups: muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) (n = 62), benign midmembranous vocal fold lesions (n = 56), and unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) (n = 32). The study sample consisted of 91 males and 59 females. The individuals had a mean age of 46.53 ± 13.84 years. All of the participants completed the IVQLP questionnaire. The PRAAT software was used to provide acoustic analyses. The correlations between fundamental frequency (F0), perturbation analyses, harmonics-to-noise ratio, and IVQLP data of the three groups of patients were measured using Pearson's correlation.

RESULTS

There was a significant correlation between the total score and jitter in the MTD group. For the benign vocal fold lesion group, correlations were significant and relatively strong for numerous analyses. Again, there were numerous significant and strong correlations for the UVFP group.

CONCLUSIONS

Results may indicate two interpretations. One interpretation of the results is that patients with morphological tissue changes (lesions, paralysis) appear to associate their sense of how their voice problem negatively affects their lives. A second interpretation is that there is perhaps a threshold of vocal perturbation or instability that lends itself to a patient's connection to his or her sense of how the voice affects his or her quality of life.

Correlation of Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP) to VHI-30 and VRQOL: Construct Validity Evidence

OBJECTIVES

An important domain in health-related quality of life evaluations is quality of life perceptions due to having a voice disorder. The purpose of the current study was (1) to examine the correlation of the Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP) with the Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and Voice Handicap Index-30 (VHI-30) for establishing the construct convergent validity of the IVQLP, and (2) to examine the correlation between VRQOL and VHI-30.

METHODS

Study sample consisted of 150 patients, 91 male and 59 female, diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia, benign organic disorders such as polyps and nodules, and unilateral vocal fold paralysis. In total, 150 patients aged 46.53 ± 13.84 years completed the IVQLP and Persian versions of the VHI and VRQOL.

RESULTS

The results showed that Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient between the results of the VHI and IVQLP questionnaires was 0.90 (P < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between VRQOL and IVQLP was -0.88. (P < 0.001) The Spearman correlation between VHI and VRQOL was -0.94. (P < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed that the IVQLP has good construct validity, and it can evaluate quality of life in Iranian dysphonic patients based on their culture. Also, the VHI-30 and VRQOL correlation was very high.