Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T07:34:12.830Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Mutational falsetto: intervention outcomes in 45 patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2007

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of therapeutic intervention in patients with mutational falsetto, by applying perceptual and acoustic analysis before and after voice therapy.

Materials and methods:

Forty-five consecutive patients with mutational falsetto were studied retrospectively. Acoustic analysis (i.e. fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and formants one, two and three) was performed using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program. Perceptual voice analyses were performed, including graded severity–roughness–breathiness–aesthenicity–strain assessment.

Results:

Subjects' fundamental frequency, voice formants one, two and three, jitter, and shimmer were greater before than after treatment. There were statistically significant differences between pre- and post-treatment average values for fundamental frequency, jitter and shimmer. There were also statistically significant differences between pre- and post-treatment average values for formants one and two. These results were maintained after six months of follow up, and there was no significant difference between results at three- and six-month follow up. According to perceptual evaluation, each subject's voice had altered from mutational falsetto to chest voice by completion of the intervention. Thus, all of the patients successfully lowered their modal speaking voice to an appropriate level.

Conclusion:

In the light of objective evaluations, and by applying the study treatment protocol, these results suggest that normal voice can be maintained after intervention, at six months' follow up.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Aronson, A. Clinical Voice Disorders. New York: Theime, 1990;142Google Scholar
2 Morrison, MD, Rammage, LA. The Management of Voice Disorder. San Diego: Singular Publishing, 1994;61,185–9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3 Morrison, MD, Rammage, LA. Muscle misuse voice disorder: description and classification. Acta Otolaryngol 1993;113:428–34CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4 Hartman, DE, Aronson, AE. Psychogenic aphonia masking mutational falsetto. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1983;109:415–16CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5 Woodson, GE, Murry, T. Botulinum toxin in the treatment of recalcitrant mutational dysphonia. J Voice PMID: 7858670 1994;8:347–51CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6 Svec, J, Pesak, J. Vocal breaks from the nodal to falsetto register. Folia Phoniatrica 1994;46:97103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7 Hammarberg, B. Pitch and quality characteristics of mutational voice disorders before and after therapy. Folia Phoniatrica 1987;39:204–16CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8 Prathanee, B. Mutational falsetto voices: voice therapy. J Med Assoc Thai 1996;79:388–94Google ScholarPubMed
9 Li, GD, Mu, L, Yang, S. Acoustic evaluation of Isshiki type III thyroplasty for treatment of mutational voice disorders. J Laryngol Otol 1999;113:31–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10 Kerbeshian, J, Burd, L. Tourette disorder and mutational falsetto. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 1988;12:271–3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11 Kaplan, SL. Mutational falsetto. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry PMID: 7096835 1982;21:82–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12 Damste, P, Lerman, J. An Introduction to Voice Pathology: Functional and Organic. Springfield: Charles C Thomas, 1975Google Scholar
13 Kahane, J. Growth of the human prepubertal and pubertal larynx. J Speech Hear Res 1982;25:446–55CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14 Boone, DR, McFarlane, SC. The Voice and Voice Therapy, 5th edn. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1994;238Google Scholar
15 Jiang, J, Lin, E, Hanson, DG. Vocal fold physiology. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2000;33:699717CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16 Colton, RH, Casper, JK. Understanding voice problems: a physiological perspective for diagnosis and treatment. Maryland: Baltimore Williams & Wilkins, 1996:7980Google Scholar
17 Rosen, DC, Sataloff, RT. Psychology of Voice Disorders. San Diego: Singular Publishing Group, 1997;8793Google Scholar
18 Yamaguchi, H, Shrivastav, R, Andrews, ML, Niimi, S. A comparison of voice quality ratings made by Japanese and American listeners using the GRBAS scale. Folia Phoniatr Logop 2003;55:147–57CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19 De Bodt, M, Wuyts, F, Van de Heyning, P, Croeckx, C. Test B re-test study of GRBAS scale. J Voice 1997;11:7480CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20 Zwitman, D, Calcaterra, T. The “silent cough” method for vocal hyperfunction. J Speech Hear Disord 1973;38:119–25CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21 Luchsinger, R, Arnold, GE. Voice-Speech-Language Clinical Communicology: Its Physiology and Pathology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1965;193Google Scholar