[Does the subjective assessment of roughness correlate with a computer-aided measurement of irregularity index?]

For routine clinical purposes dysphonic voices are assessed using the GRBAS scale or analogues. An objective measurement often includes jitter measurements. Here we raised the question of whether roughness estimates correlate with a computer-aided measurement of the vocal fold cycle irregularity in 78 patients who read a standard text ("Nordwind und Sonne"). The samples were evaluated by 19 speech and voice therapy students according to the degree of roughness. The irregularity index was calculated according to the procedures suggested by Fourcin. Data were subjected to correlation analysis. A significant correlation was found between the irregularity index and the subjective roughness scaling. These data indicate that objective measurements of vibratory cycle irregularity during text reading can be used for clinical purposes in addition to subjective roughness scaling.