Long term Subjective Evaluation of the Effects of Vocal Therapy on Dysfunctional Dysphonia.

The goal of this study is the evaluation of the long-term efficiency of voice therapy (> to 6 months) in the treatment of dysfunctional dysphonia . Four subjective measurements were performed on 29 patients:
-A visual analogical scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (not efficient at all) to 100 (very efficient).
-A question “Is the speech therapy still efficient?” Yes or no.
-The G(rade), R(oughness) and B(reathiness) parameters from the GRBAS perceptual scale (evaluated by the patient measured on VAS).
-The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10).
The results show that 76% of the patients consider that the voice therapy is still efficient. In regard to G.R.B., we observe a high score for G (median: 77). The score for R is lower (median R: 12). G and R are significantly correlated (r Spearman=0.516, p=0.004), but the satisfaction of the vocal quality does not seem correlated to B (p=0,251, NS). The median values of VHI 10 shows a significant improvement from 15 to 10 (p=0,017). In addition, the correlations between the judgment on the treatment efficiency and vocal quality (r=0,623, p<0,001) and between VHI-10 and the length of treatment (r=0.416, p=0,035) are significant. The first correlation shows that the most satisfied patients when it comes to the vocal therapy are also the most satisfied when it comes to their vocal quality. The second correlation specifies that the longer the treatment, the higher the grade of vocal handicap.
Voice therapy is efficient in the long term and is worth to be prolonged for difficult cases