Efficacy of a Semi-occluded Mask in the Treatment of Patients With Voice Disorders

Jacqueline Gartner-Schmidt

Status: Completed

Conditions: Atrophy of Vocal Cord; Voice and Resonance Disorders; Vocal Fold Polyp; Vocal Cord Polyp; Vocal Cord Cyst

Treatments: Device: Inclusion of semi-occluded mask in voice therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03410797

PRO17100675

Details and patient eligibility

About

Current semi-occluded vocal tract therapies limit the type of vocalizations that can be produced to single vowels, which does not promote learning of the healthy voice behavior in connected speech or generalization to conversation. However, recent preliminary results using a semi-occluded mask indicate that the use of certain mask port diameters may allow for natural speech production while increasing supraglottal pressure and impedance, and thereby result in elicitation of voice with increased efficiency. In addition, the use of a semi-occluded mask provides the possibility for a better transition from phonating single phonemes in therapy to training the target therapy techniques in connected speech.

Full description

Treatment of voice disorders varies but often involves voice therapy and/or surgical intervention. Voice therapy, a non-invasive behavioral treatment for voice disorders, helps patients develop beneficial voice habits, prevents recurrence of voice disorders, and facilitates long-lasting vocal improvement. Many voice therapy techniques involve a semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT). SOVT treatment is often characterized by sustained (straw phonation, voiced fricatives, nasals), oral oscillatory (lip buzzes, tongue trills, raspberries) or transitory phonation (plosives and glides). Straw phonation therapy, one of the most utilized SOVT methods, was first proposed in 1904 and involved phonating at different pitches into small glass tubes with varying diameters and lengths providing simultaneous semi-occlusion and extension of the vocal tract. Voice therapy exercises involving voice production with a semi-occluded and sometimes lengthened vocal tract have demonstrated improved vocal efficiency and loudness, reduced mechanical trauma to the vocal fold mucosa, and improved source-filter interaction.Our group recently developed a semi-occluded facemask for use in patients with and without voice disorders. Recent preliminary results using this semi-occluded facemask indicated that the use of a certain mask port diameters may elicit voice with increased efficiency. A study of 5 participants without voice disorders revealed that a mask occlusion diameter of 6.4 and 3.2 mm resulted in improved vocal efficiency. A study of the immediate effects of a semi-occluded facemask in 20 patients with voice disorders revealed that occlusions diameters of 9.6, 6.4, and 3.2 mm all resulted in significant improvements in acoustic and aerodynamic voice outcomes.

Enrollment: 11 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• age 18 to 60
• diagnosed with vocal fold lesion or polyp or cyst or atrophy or other voice condition (such as muscle tension dysphonia)
• recommended for voice therapy as treatment for voice disorder

Exclusion criteria

• Current smoker (greater than 5 cigarettes/week)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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11 participants in 1 patient group

Voice Disorder Requiring Voice Therapy

Other group

Description:

Individuals with a voice disorder such as muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), vocal fold atrophy or vocal fold lesions recommended for voice therapy as treatment.

Treatment:

Device: Inclusion of semi-occluded mask in voice therapy