Comparison of Pitch Strength With Perceptual and Other Acoustic Metric Outcome Measures Following Medialization Laryngoplasty.
Adam D Rubin, Cristina Jackson-Menaldi, Lisa M Kopf and 5 others
PMID 29773324WHAT IT FOUND
Pitch strength did not outperform CPPS-based measures, but after medialization laryngoplasty plus six weeks of voice therapy, patients' voices improved on pitch strength and other acoustic measures.
Key findings
01After type-I thyroplasty and six weeks of voice therapy, pitch strength increased from 33.19% to 37.40%, and CPPS increased from 10.20 to 13.95 dB.
02After type-I thyroplasty and six weeks of voice therapy, all four acoustic metrics and all GRBAS ratings improved.
03Grade and Breathiness ratings correlated strongly with the acoustic measures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was retrospective and used recordings from one voice center, so it is weaker than a prospective multicentre study. The sample was small and mostly included unilateral vocal fold paralysis, so results may not apply to all voice disorders. Patients received type-I thyroplasty and six weeks of voice therapy together, so the contribution of either component cannot be separated. All recordings were made in a sound-treated booth, which is less controlled than many clinic rooms. Headphone type was not standard because raters completed ratings remotely. The authors state pitch strength did not show benefit over cepstral measures in this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pitch strength alone caused voice improvement or is clearly better than existing measures. The patients received medialization laryngoplasty and six weeks of voice therapy together, and the study did not show pitch strength outperforming CPPS-based measures.