No abstract

Background: Apart from perceptual and acoustic parameters of a voice disorder, the patient’s individual concerns are important because dysphonia can lead to relevant mental and physical stress. The purpose of our study was to analyze the relationship between patients’ self-assessed concerns over different voice disorders and objective acoustic parameters of their voice. Methods: The Voice Handicap Index 12 (VHI-12) and the Göttingen Hoarseness Diagram (GHD) were evaluated in 226 patients with voice disorders. Individual VHI-12 items were correlated with the parameters of acoustic sound analysis. Result: The frequencies of items classified as negative voice experiences ranked one to three. Patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis were most affected by their voice disorder. Partially significant Pearson’s correlations were found between the VHI-12 items and the acoustic parameters from the GHD. Discussion: The results of our studies show that voice disorders are very impairing to the affected patients and that vocalizing was rated as particularly strenuous. However, self-assessment and sound analysis provide different information about voice function. Both findings have an important role in comprehensive voice diagnostics.

Nowadays, many occupations require a high vocal loading capacity. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to have suitable test procedures for the vocal load, which can be executed with a low personnel and temporal expenditure. Patients with decreased vocal loading capacity were distinguished from test persons free of voice complaints with a 15-min test. It should be examined whether the test duration can be further shortened by an increase in the demanded vocal intensity. Sixty two persons underwent a vocal load test (VLT) of 10 min: in each case, 1 min in the volumes 75 dB(A) and 80 dB(A). Volume and fundamental frequency were measured real time. Before and directly after vocal load, as well as after a 30-min voice rest, the Goettingen hoarseness diagram was executed for the objective judgment of vocal quality. Besides, every person assessed himself on the bases of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI 12) and a questionnaire on the subjective state before the examination and after the VLT. The test could be mastered by all participants, patients and test persons, and was evaluated by all as tiring. However, we could not distinguish persons who indicated a decreased vocal maximum stress in everyday life from persons without vocal complaints using the shorter test with higher load, which was possible in the 15-min test pattern. A shortening of the test duration to 10 min for an examination of the vocal loading capacity is not possible, in spite of raised vocal load. It was proved in this study that a reliable distinction between patients and test persons was not possible using the 10-min vocal load test. A reliable statement concerning the permanent capacity of the voice cannot be made. Further scientific investigation in the important field of vocal load diagnostics is required.

Children with detected auditory selection problems benefit most from the use of an FM system for improved speech understanding. This should be borne in mind in the diagnosis and therapy of these children.

The feasibility of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) using automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) devices in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is already well demonstrated. The aim of this study was to find out whether the postconceptional age (PCA) of the babies at the time of the AABR measurement has an influence on the measuring results and to determine the earliest time point for a reliable hearing screening in preterm neonates. Hearing screening measurements of 634 neonates (NICU-Babies) were included. We had complete data for 577 of these babies. The babies were born between 24 and 42 weeks of gestation in the years 2007–2008 and were screened in the Neonatal Unit of the Marburg University hospital. In this group, the hearing screening had been performed at or after 32 weeks of PCA. The AABR measurements showed a specificity of 93.9% (babies tested between 32 and 34 weeks of PCA), 95.8% (tested between 35 and 37 weeks), 95.9% (tested between 38 and 40 weeks of PCA) and 92.1% (tested after 40 weeks of PCA). Hearing screening yields reliable results at 32 weeks PCA. Therefore, an UNHS can be already performed before term without risking a higher rate of false positive results. However, individual factors such as cardiorespiratory and temperature stability of the baby should be considered.