Vanessa Veis Ribeiro

Laryngeal Manual Therapies for Behavioral Dysphonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to review systematically the literature and to analyze the effectiveness of laryngeal manual therapy in addressing the overall severity of vocal deviation, the intensity of vocal and laryngeal symptoms, and musculoskeletal pain in adults with behavioral dysphonia. STUDY DESIGN This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS Two independent authors selected clinical trials that analyzed the effectiveness of laryngeal manual therapy compared with other interventions in the treatment of adults with behavioral dysphonia from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and LILACS. The analyzed outcomes were the overall severity of vocal deviation, the intensity of vocal and laryngeal symptoms, and musculoskeletal pain. Data analysis was conducted based on the following steps: the assessment of the risk of bias, the measures of treatment effect and descriptive data analysis, the assessment of heterogeneity, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and the assessment of reporting biases. RESULTS A total of 2135 studies were identified, three of which met the selection criteria. Data analysis showed an unclear risk of 100% of performance bias and 66% of detection bias, in addition to a 33% high risk of selection bias. Low statistical and clinical heterogeneities were found. In addition, no significant difference was found in the relative risk of improvement with laryngeal manual therapy and with other interventions in the analyzed outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Various types of laryngeal manual therapies are available with similar objectives and effects, but their effectiveness is equivalent to that of other interventions involving direct voice therapy in the rehabilitation of adults with behavioral dysphonia.

Musculoskeletal Pain and Occupational Variables in Teachers With Voice Disorders and in Those With Healthy Voices—A Pilot Study

PURPOSE This study aimed to compare musculoskeletal pain perception in teachers with voice disorders and in those with healthy voices, and to investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and occupational variables (ie, work journey per week and working period). METHOD Forty-three classroom teachers were divided into two groups: dysphonic group (DG), 32 classroom teachers with voice complaints and voice disorders; and non-DG, 11 classroom teachers without voice complaints and who are vocally healthy. The musculoskeletal pain investigation survey was used to investigate the frequency and intensity of the pain. Occupational variables, such as work journey per week and working period, were investigated by the Voice Production Condition-Teacher questionnaire. The statistical tests used were the Spearman correlation (P ≤ 0.05) and the Mann-Whitney U test (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS There was no difference between the frequency and the intensity of musculoskeletal pain regarding dysphonia. Work journey per week was positively related to the frequency and the intensity of laryngeal pain in the DG. The working period had a negative relationship to the frequency and the intensity of musculoskeletal pain in the submandibular region in the DG. CONCLUSION Classroom teachers with voice disorders and those with healthy voices do not have differences regarding the frequency and the intensity of musculoskeletal pain. Besides dysphonia the pain is an important symptom to be considered in classroom teachers. The occupational variables contributed to the presence of musculoskeletal pain in the region near the larynx, which appears to be directly proportional to work journey per week and inversely proportional to the working period.

Musculoskeletal Pain and Voice-related Quality of Life in Dysphonic and Non-dysphonic Subjects

PURPOSE This study aimed to compare and correlate musculoskeletal pain and voice-related quality of life of dysphonic and non-dysphonic individuals. METHOD This is a retrospective case-control study. A total of 74 adults were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) comprising 37 individuals with vocal complaints and hyperfunctional dysphonia, and the control group (CG) comprising 37 individuals without vocal complaints and with healthy voices. Both groups presented similar gender and age (28 females and 9 males for each group; average age = 31.5). All the participants answered the protocols: Voice-Related Quality of Life and Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire. Statistical data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test (P ≤ 0.05) and Spearman correlation test (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS It was observed that the EG presented significantly lower scores of voice-related quality of life in the social-emotional (P < 0.001), physical (P < 0.001), and total (P < 0.001) fields. Concerning musculoskeletal pain, it was observed in the EG that there was a higher intensity in pain in the region of the larynx (P < 0.001), and a higher frequency of pain in the submandibular (P = 0.013), larynx (P < 0.001), and front of the neck (P = 0.002) regions, when compared with the CG. CONCLUSION In the group of individuals studied, worst indexes of voice-related quality of life and higher frequency and intensity of pain in the larynx were observed, in addition to higher frequency of pain in regions near the larynx in dysphonic subjects. There was correlation between voice-related quality of life and the frequency and intensity of musculoskeletal pain.

The Voiced Oral High-frequency Oscillation Technique's Immediate Effect on Individuals With Dysphonic and Normal Voices

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to verify the effect of the voiced oral high-frequency oscillation (VOHFO) on voice quality in acoustic voice symptoms and self-reported sensations in individuals with voice complaints and dysphonic voices, and in individuals with normal voices. METHODS The participants, which included 60 individuals from 18 to 45 years of age, both genders, were divided into two groups: G1, 30 individuals without voice complaints and normal voices; and G2, 30 individuals with voice complaints and dysphonic voices. We used the following measures: acoustic analysis, voice and larynx symptom investigation, and phonation time before and after 3 minutes of performing the VOHFO technique. The sensations were reported only after the VOHFO technique. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test (P ≤ 0.05), paired t test (P ≤ 0.05), and the Mann-Whitney test (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS After the VOHFO, in G1, there was an increased fundamental frequency (both genders), a higher voice turbulence index, and a decrease in dryness symptoms (women); in G2, there was a decrease in the following symptoms: strong voice, dryness and lump in the throat, sensitive throat (women), and roughness and weak voice (men). The phonation measures and sensations did not present differences. The soft phonation index decreased in G1 and increased in G2 (women), in addition to a significant decrease in strong voice and sensitive throat (women) and roughness (men) in G2. CONCLUSIONS The VOHFO technique improves the source-filter relationship and the severity of voice and larynx symptoms in dysphonic and normal individuals. Women improved more in terms of larynx symptoms, whereas men improved more in terms of voice symptoms.

Terapia vocal e sons nasais: efeitos sobre disfonias hiperfuncionais

We sought to verify the effects of a phonotherapy program that included vocal and postural orientation, adequacy of respiratory function and the technique of nasal sounds in hyperfunctional dysphonia. We carried out a clinical case, observational, longitudinal, non-controlled study with quantitative approach that analyzed three female subjects with mean age of 31.33 years who presented hyperfunctional dysphonia. The subjects were submitted to: laryngoscopy, vocal, perceptive-auditory and acoustic assessments, collection of maximum phonation time, postural screening and determination of the respiratory tract during speech before and after a therapeutic program which consisted of orientation, awareness and vocal training with nasal sounds during 16 speech therapy sessions, once a week with training at home. The data were analyzed by using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Chi-square, with 5% significance level. Post-therapy, we observed that the posture passed from aligned and misaligned and the respiratory type from the upper to the costodiaphragmatic-abdominal; there was a decrease of the acoustic measurements in relation to the degree and to the number of subharmonics in most subjects, besides tissue improvements and reduction of edema in the mucosa of the vocal folds and arytenoid region, as well as glottal closure improvement. After performing the phonotherapy program with vocal and postural orientation, adequacy of respiratory function and use of the technique of nasal sounds in hyperfunctional dysphonia, we observed significant improvement in body posture, the respiratory tract, the acoustic measurements suggestive of noise to vocal emission and positive effects on the tissue and the closure of the vocal folds.

Tempo máximo fonatório de /e/ e /ė/ não-vozeado e sua relação com índice de massa corporal e sexo em crianças

Purpose: to characterize and associate childrens maximum phonation time of voiced /e/ and voiceless /e/ (/ė/), body mass index and gender. Methods: field and quantitative analytical observational cross-sectional study attended by 102 children aged between eight and 12 years (mean 9.66 years), being 53 (51.96%) girls and 49 (48.04%) boys. The subjects have gone through hearing screening, anthropometric assessment and collection of the maximum phonation times of /e/, /ė/. Data were analyzed using non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Spearmans rank correlation coefficient tests, with 5% significance level. Results: there was no difference of maximum phonation times of /e/, /ė/, or the relationship between them as a function of body mass index and age, but male children showed maximum phonation time significantly of /e/ higher than girls. No correlation was found between maximum phonation time and body mass index. Conclusion: there was no difference between maximum phonation time of /ė/, /e/ and ė/e ratio, according to age and body mass index, and body mass index and maximum phonation time were not correlated, showing homogeneity between measures within the group without influence of body mass index on the maximum phonation time. As for gender, boys presented maximum phonation time of /e/ higher than girls and only children aged eight years had maximum phonation time as expected.

Aquecimento e desaquecimento vocais: revisão sistemática

Esta revisao da literatura levantou publicacoes cientificas nacionais e internacionais sobre aquecimento e desaquecimento vocais da voz falada, por meio das bases de dados Lilacs, MedLine e Scielo, com o objetivo de identificar e descrever os parâmetros metodologicos e os efeitos das propostas de aquecimento e desaquecimento vocal descritas na literatura nacional e internacional. Foi realizada a localizacao e selecao dos estudos por meio de levantamento de textos publicados sobre o assunto no periodo de 1999 a 2013. Foram incluidos artigos originais de pesquisa; publicados na lingua portuguesa ou inglesa; que pesquisaram aquecimento e desaquecimento vocal; associados ou nao. O tempo de execucao recomendado para o aquecimento variou de 15 a 30min ou tres series de 15 repeticoes, e para o desaquecimento foi de 5 a 15min. Os exercicios mais utilizados para o aquecimento foram sons fricativos sonoros e vibrantes de lingua ou de labios, em escalas ascendentes, e para o desaquecimento vocal foram sons nasais, fricativos sonoros e vibrantes de lingua e ou de labios, em escalas descendentes. Os exercicios mostraram mudancas vocais positivas, observadas por meio de medidas vocais acusticas e perceptivoauditivas, de autoavaliacao e aerodinâmicas relacionadas a fonacao. Houve unanimidade quanto a importância da realizacao do aquecimento e desaquecimento vocais para profissionais da voz e aos resultados positivos apos a realizacao dos procedimentos. Nao foi encontrada concordância quanto ao tempo de execucao e os exercicios utilizados.

Perceptual-Auditory and Acoustical Analysis of the Voices of Transgender Women

Voice is an important gender marker in the transition process as a transgender individual accepts a new gender identity. The objectives of this study were to describe and relate aspects of a perceptual-auditory analysis and the fundamental frequency (F0) of male-to-female (MtF) transsexual individuals. A case-control study was carried out with individuals aged 19-52 years who attended the Gender Identity Program of the Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre. Vocal recordings from the MtF transgender and cisgender individuals (vowel /a:/ and six phrases of Consensus Auditory Perceptual Evaluation Voice [CAPE-V]) were edited and randomly coded before storage in a Dropbox folder. The voices (vowel /a:/) were analyzed by consensus on the same day by two judge speech therapists who had more than 10 years of experience in the voice area using the GRBASI perceptual-auditory vocal evaluation scale. Acoustic analysis of the voices was performed using the advanced Multi-Dimensional Voice Program software. The resonance focus and the degrees of masculinity and femininity for each voice recording were determined by listening to the CAPE-V phrases, for the same judges. There were significant differences between the groups regarding a greater frequency of subjects with F0 between 80 and 150 Hz (P = 0.003), and a greater frequency of hypernasal resonant focus (P < 0.001) in the MtF cases and greater frequency of subjects with absence of roughness (P = 0.031) in the control group. The MtF group of individuals showed altered vertical resonant focus, more masculine voices, and lower fundamental frequencies. The control group showed a significant absence of roughness.

Alterações de sistema estomatognático em indivíduos disfônicos

Purpose: verifying the presence of the stomatognathic system changes and its association with gender, profession, allergies report and speech diagnosing the type of dysphonia in dysphonic individuals who sought care in a speech therapy school clinic. Methods: quantitative and retrospective study, through the database. Sample of 69 subjects records of both genders, aged between 19 and 44 years. Data were collected on age, gender, profession, report of allergies, speech therapy diagnosis of the type of dysphonia, respiratory type and data of anthroposcopic evaluation of the stomatognathic system: occlusion, horizontal and transverse bite changes, width and depth of the hard palate, breathing mode and lips, tongue and cheeks tension. Results: 28.99% (n=20) were voice professional; 33.33% (n=23) reported allergies; mixed respiratory type with 75.36% (n=52), followed by the superior with 20.29% (n=14) and diaphragmatic breathing with 4.35% (n=3); type of functional dysphonia (n=42; 66.67%), followed by organofunctional (n=19; 23.54%) and organic (n=8; 11.59%). There were not significances in the stomatognathic system changes associations with types and breathing techniques, types of dysphonia, voice professional and allergies report, there were only significances in female with no vertical bite changes. Conclusion: studied patients were predominantly women; adults; not voice professionals; with functional dysphonia; no history of allergies or stomatognathic system changes; with proper type and mode breathing, with only female association with no vertical bite changes.

Perfil vocal, ocupacional e de saúde geral de docentes de Santa Maria/RS

Purpose: to characterize and relate the vocal, occupational and general health profile of elementary school teachers from Santa Maria/RS. Methods: observational analytical cross-sectional study of quantitative character. The sample consisted by 127 teachers (average age of 38.25 years-old) who responded to a questionnaire and underwent hearing screening, perceptual voice assessment and acoustic analysis.