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Effects of tonsillectomy on speech spectrum.
Hakki Gokhan Ilk1, Osman Eroğul, Bülent Satar
1Ankara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electronics Engineering, Beşevler, Ankara, Turkey. ilk@ieee.org
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of the Voice Foundation
|January 7, 2003
Summary
Tonsillectomy can alter speech spectrum, affecting vowel and consonant sounds. While most speech changes recover, professionals should be aware of potential impacts on voice quality.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Acoustic Phonetics
Background:
- Tonsillectomy is a common surgical procedure.
- The impact of tonsillectomy on speech quality is not fully understood.
- Acoustic analysis can objectively measure speech parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of tonsillectomy on the speech spectrum.
- To identify specific changes in vowel and consonant pronunciation post-surgery.
- To correlate tonsil size with the extent of speech alterations.
Main Methods:
- Speech recordings from patients before and after tonsillectomy.
- Analysis using Kay Elemetrics Multi-Dimensional Voice Processing (MDVP Advanced) software.
- Examination of acoustic parameters including formants (F3, B3), bandwidths (B1, B2), and noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR).
Main Results:
- Significant changes observed in F3 and B3 for the vowel /o/, and slight decreases in B1 and B2 for the vowel /a/.
- A decrease in noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR) suggested reduced nasalization.
- The glottal consonant /h/ was also affected, with greater changes correlating to larger tonsil size.
Conclusions:
- Tonsillectomy causes measurable, though often minimal, changes in the speech spectrum.
- Most speech characteristics tend to recover post-surgery, possibly due to auditory feedback or tissue adaptation.
- Voice professionals should consider these potential speech alterations, especially if large tonsils were removed.