2019 Volume 60 Issue 1 Pages 43-51
Patients with vocal fold atrophy suffer from atrophy of the vocal fold lamina propria and muscle layer caused by various factors including aging. Patients of vocal fold atrophy present with breathy voice due to glottic insufficiency. It has previously been reported that voice therapy is effective for vocal fold atrophy. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of voice therapy for patients with vocal fold atrophy caused by aging seen in our clinic.
We examined 19 patients (11 males and 8 females) who received voice therapy and evaluation among patients diagnosed with glottic insufficiency due to vocal fold atrophy. We statistically analyzed the parameters of maximum phonation time (MPT), voice handicap index (VHI) and acoustic evaluation before and after the therapy. The treatment we conducted as voice therapy was comprehensive voice therapy focused on vocal function exercises and abdominal breathing, augmented by options including resonance tube or yawn-sigh therapy.
After treatment, MPT, VHI, shimmer, and noise to harmonic ratio (NHR) were significantly improved. This suggests that voice therapy is effective for patients with vocal fold atrophy. In addition, voice therapy was more effective for patients who have no occupation than for patients who have an occupation. This observation suggests that voice therapy is more effective for patients who engage in less phonation.
