Effects of Resonance Voice Therapy on Hormone-Related Vocal Disorders in Professional Singers: A Pilot Study

Effects of Infertility on Voice in male patients

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to determine the differences in normospermic, oligospermic and azoospermic infertile men by performing voice analysis and to discuss this in the light of the literature.

Methods

71 male patients who applied to the urology clinic due to infertility and were then referred to us were included in the study. Hormone analysis and spermiogram were requested from the patients for routine infertility tests. Testosterone, Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), Prolactin levels of the patients were recorded. Age and spermiogram results were recorded. According to the spermiogram results, the patients were categorized as Group 1 (azoospermic), Group 2 (oligospermic), Group 3 (normospermic). Voice Handicap Index-10 Turkish version (VHI-10) was applied to the patients and the results were recorded.

Results

The age of the infertile patients ranged from 20 to 37. The mean age was 28.23. The distribution of the patients was 21 patients in Group 1, 40 patients in Group 2, and 10 patients in Group 3. The mean Testosterone level of the patients was 2.78; mean FSH level 12.14; mean LH level 7.26; mean Prolactin level was 8.1. The mean VHI-10 scores of the patients were 10.52. The fundamental frequency F0 Hz (mean pitch) values of the patients were 176,468; jitter % (frequency perturbation jitter) values average 0.25; shimmer % (amplitude perturbation shimmer) values average 2,322; HNR dB values averaged 24,862.

Conclusions

Testosterone is more effective on the voice, especially in male individuals.It would be more logical to think that many hormones, growth factors and local factors are effective instead of a single hormone.

Effects of Resonant Voice Therapy on Perceptual and Acoustic Source and Tract Parameters - A Preliminary Study on Indian Carnatic Classical Singers

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of resonant voice therapy (RVT) on the vocal resonance of trained Carnatic singers. The specific objectives were to evaluate the effects of resonant voice therapy on the auditory perceptual judgments and acoustic source and tract parameters before and after RVT on phonation and sung voice samples.

METHOD

Six vocally healthy trained Carnatic singers, three males and three females aged 18-25 years (M = 23; S.D = 2.09) participated in the study. All the participants were assigned to a 21-days-long Resonance Voice Therapy (RVT) training program. The participants' pre and post training phonation and sung samples were subjected to auditory perceptual analysis and acoustic analysis.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the post training auditory perceptual ratings of the phonation task showed a statistically significant difference from the pre training scores (Z= 2.35; P = 0.019). While for the singing task, the post training perceptual ratings were not significantly different from the pre training perceptual rating scores (Z= 2.66; P = 0.08). A significant difference was observed between the pre and post training values for all the measured acoustic parameters of the phonation task. In singing task, though the fundamental frequency, third and fourth formant frequencies showed no significant difference in the pre and post training conditions (P > 0.05), the parameter of- difference between the first formant frequency and the fundamental frequency showed a significant decrease (P = 0.028).

CONCLUSION

The effects of resonant voice production led to a high vocal economy, as evidenced from the improved source and filter acoustic parameters. Indication for formant tuning through vocal tract modifications, probably an enlarged pharyngeal area resulting in increased resonant voice quality in both phonation and singing tasks, is inferred from these results.

Multi-dimensional investigation of the clinical effectiveness and prognostic factors of voice therapy for benign voice disorders

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Voice therapy is frequently recommended as the first-line treatment for benign voice disorders. This study investigated the clinical effectiveness of voice therapy and the prognostic factors of treatment outcomes.

METHODS

We recruited 103 consecutive patients with voice disorders, namely vocal nodules, polyps, and muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), from September 2014 to July 2016. All the patients received voice therapy as the primary treatment. Treatment outcomes were evaluated using auditory perceptual evaluation, acoustic analysis, maximum phonation time, and 10-item voice handicap index (VHI-10). Clinical effectiveness of voice therapy was defined by either 1) a posttreatment VHI-10 score ≤ 10 points or 2) decline of VHI-10 ≥ 4 points.

RESULTS

After voice therapy, VHI-10 and perceptual rating of voice quality improved significantly (p < 0.05) in the three disease categories. In patients with nodules, all the outcome parameters improved significantly (p < 0.05). Patients with good adherence to voice therapy (attending more than four sessions) had a significantly higher effectiveness than those with poor adherence (87% vs. 64%, p < 0.05). Patients with high occupational vocal demand also demonstrated a better effectiveness than those with routine vocal demand (90% vs. 70%, p < 0.05). Subsequent multivariate analyses revealed that adherence and vocal demand were independently and significantly correlated with clinical effectiveness (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Voice therapy is effective for patients with vocal nodules, polyps, and MTD. Adherence to voice therapy and occupational vocal demand are significant prognostic factors for treatment outcomes.

Occupational voice is a work in progress: active risk management, habilitation and rehabilitation

The current article reviews recent literature examining occupational voice use and occupational voice disorders (January 2018–July 2019).