Wu Chia-Hsin, Chan Roger W
Department of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taiwan.
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2020 Apr 27;63(4):1018-1032. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00124. Epub 2020 Apr 16.
Purpose Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with tubes or straws have been widely used for a variety of voice disorders. Yet, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises (lasting for weeks) on the aging voice are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program. Method Thirty-seven elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems were assigned into two groups: (a) SPW exercises with six weekly sessions and home practice (experimental group) and (b) vocal hygiene education (control group). Before and after intervention (2 weeks after the completion of the exercise program), acoustic analysis, auditory-perceptual evaluation, and self-assessment of vocal impairment were conducted. Results Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the two groups in smoothed cepstral peak prominence measures, harmonics-to-noise ratio, the auditory-perceptual parameter of breathiness, and Voice Handicap Index-10 scores postintervention. No significant differences between the two groups were found for other measures. Conclusions Our results supported the positive effects of SOVT exercises for the aging voice, with a 6-week SPW exercise program being a clinical option. Future studies should involve long-term follow-up and additional outcome measures to better understand the efficacy of SOVT exercises, particularly SPW exercises, for the aging voice.
目的 使用管子或吸管进行半闭塞声道（SOVT）练习已被广泛用于各种嗓音障碍。然而，较长时间（持续数周）的SOVT练习对老年嗓音的影响尚不清楚。本研究调查了为期6周的水中吸管发声（SPW）练习计划的效果。方法 37名自我感觉有嗓音问题的老年受试者被分为两组：（a）每周进行6次练习并在家中练习的SPW练习（实验组）和（b）嗓音卫生教育（对照组）。在干预前后（练习计划完成后2周），进行声学分析、听觉感知评估和嗓音障碍的自我评估。结果 协方差分析显示，两组在干预后平滑谐波峰值突出度测量、谐波噪声比、呼吸声听觉感知参数和嗓音障碍指数-10得分方面存在显著差异。两组在其他测量方面未发现显著差异。结论 我们的结果支持SOVT练习对老年嗓音的积极作用，为期6周的SPW练习计划是一种临床选择。未来的研究应包括长期随访和额外的结局测量，以更好地了解SOVT练习，特别是SPW练习对老年嗓音的疗效。
