Using a Vortex Whistle System to Estimate Phonatory Airflow via the Phonation Quotient.
Shaheen N Awan, Jordan A Awan, Heather Shaw Bonilha and 4 others
PMID 40883148WHAT IT FOUND
A low-cost 3-D printed vortex whistle system estimates phonatory airflow as accurately as expensive clinical equipment in healthy adults.
It correlates strongly with standard pneumotach measures, offering speech-language pathologists a viable way to add objective airflow data to voice assessments without high costs.
Key findings
01The phonation quotient calculated using the low-cost vortex whistle system correlated strongly with phonatory airflow measured by a standard clinical pneumotach system.
02There was no significant difference between the phonation quotient values obtained using the vortex whistle system and those obtained using a gold-standard spirometer.
03The vortex whistle system can accurately estimate vital capacity, which is necessary for calculating the phonation quotient.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only included healthy young adults with typical voices, so it is unclear how well the vortex whistle system performs in individuals with voice disorders. The phonation quotient relies on maximum performance tasks (vital capacity and maximum phonation time), which can be affected by participant effort, fatigue, or bronchospasm, potentially leading to underestimations. The sample had more females than males, which may have influenced the analysis of sex differences in measurement accuracy.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations are provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this device is validated for diagnosing or monitoring voice disorders in patients with dysphonia. The study was conducted exclusively on healthy adults with typical voices, so its accuracy in clinical populations has not yet been established.