Immediate Effect of Stimulability Assessment on Acoustic, Aerodynamic, and Patient-Perceptual Measures of Voice

Implementation of Telemedicine in a Laryngology Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned, Experiences Shared

“…Virtual joint laryngologist/SLP visits may be possible by logging into one meeting room with the patient. After joint initial patient evaluation, the laryngologist can maximize efficiency while the SLP spends time assessing the patient for therapy candidacy (ie, stimulability 18,19 ) by completing other patient-care-related tasks. This may include reviewing previous testing (eg, pulmonary function testing, pH-impedance, manometry, or imaging), working on chart documentation, initiating referrals, or ordering medications or additional testing.…”

“…History-taking can be time-consuming, especially if complex. A full SLP evaluation including voice stimulability testing, 18,19 acoustic evaluation, and/ or clinical swallow evaluation 20 requires adequate time allotment. During in-person visits, the laryngologist may go into another exam room with another patient during this time.…”

Adult normative data for phonatory aerodynamics in connected speech

“…Phonatory aerodynamic measurements are a standard part of the voice laboratory evaluation . These measurements have been shown to distinguish normal from disordered voices, determine stimulability for behavioral treatment, and track response to intervention . Despite the proven significance of aerodynamic measurements, use of these measures in clinical settings is rare.…”

“…1,2 These measurements have been shown to distinguish normal from disordered voices, determine stimulability for behavioral treatment, and track response to intervention. [3][4][5][6][7] Despite the proven significance of aerodynamic measurements, use of these measures in clinical settings is rare. A recent systematic review of aerodynamic measurements revealed that only 10% of the articles utilized aerodynamic measurements for clinical purposes.…”

Pharmacologic management of voice disorders by general medicine providers and otolaryngologists

“…20 Voice stimulability testing administered by an SLP has an important role and can shed light on the nature of the patient’s voice problem and the patient’s potential for improvement with voice therapy as the primary modality. 30,31 Even after controlling for the use of stroboscopy, as compared with otolaryngology evaluation without SLP, laryngeal/voice-disordered patients who also had SLP evaluation had an 18% greater odds of having a change in laryngeal diagnosis and were more likely to attend voice therapy. 20 Further evaluation is needed to examine the impact of multidisciplinary evaluation of laryngeal/voice-disordered patients and the impact on healthcare utilization, especially subsequent pharmacologic treatment.…”