Subjective evaluation of the long-term efficacy of speech therapy on dysfunctional dysphonia.

Abstract	The objective of the study was to measure the subjective long-term effects of vocal therapy (more than 6 months) in 29 patients suffering from dysfunctional dysphonia. Four subjective measurements were used: one visual analog scale ranging from 0 (not efficient at all) to 100 (very efficient); one question "Is the speech therapy still efficient?," answered by yes or no; the GRB parameters of the GRBAS scale (evaluated by the patient); and the VHI-10. The results show that 76% of the patients consider that the vocal therapy they received is still efficient. On the vocal quality (G), roughness (R), and breathiness (B) parameters, we observe a high degree of satisfaction on the G parameter (median=77). The scores on the R and B parameters are lower (median R=12, S=5). Roughness is significantly correlated to the Grade (Spearman coefficient r=0.516, P=0.004), whereas breathiness is not (P=0.251, NS). The comparison of the results on the VHI-10 pre and post treatment shows a significant decrease in the grade of perceived handicap (medians 15 vs 11, P=0.017). The correlations between the judgment of the treatment's efficacy and the vocal quality is significant (r=0.623, P<0.001) as well as the correlation between the VHI-10 and the length of the treatment (r=0.416, P=0.035). The conclusion can be made that speech therapy plays an important role in long-term treatment of dysfunctional dysphonias.
Authors	D Morsomme, M Faurichon de la Bardonnie, I Verduyckt, J Jamart, M Remacle
Journal	Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation (J Voice) Vol. 24 Issue 2 Pg. 178-82 (Mar 2010) ISSN: 1873-4588 [Electronic] United States
PMID	19185457 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
Copyright	Copyright (c) 2010 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Topics	Adult Dysphonia (therapy) Female Humans Judgment Male Middle Aged Patient Satisfaction Severity of Illness Index Speech Therapy (methods) Surveys and Questionnaires Time Factors Treatment Outcome Voice Quality Young Adult

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.

Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!