Multidimensional Analysis on the Effect of Vocal Function Exercises on Aged Vocal Fold Atrophy.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Age-related voice changes include weakness, harshness, and breathiness due to vocal fold mucosal and muscle alterations.
• Previous treatments like surgery and injection laryngoplasty have shown limited effectiveness for aged vocal fold atrophy.
• Vocal function exercises (VFE) show promise for treating age-related vocal fold atrophy, but require further analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the effectiveness of Vocal Function Exercises (VFE) for treating aged vocal fold atrophy.
• To conduct a multidimensional analysis of VFE's impact on voice parameters in older adults.
• To evaluate subjective and objective voice improvements following VFE therapy.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study involving 16 patients (aged 65-81) with vocal fold atrophy who underwent VFE.
• A historical control group of 6 patients (aged 65-85) with vocal fold atrophy.
• Pre- and post-therapy assessments included the GRBAS scale, stroboscopic examinations, aerodynamic and acoustic analyses, and the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10).
• Image analysis measured normalized mucosal wave amplitude (NMWA), normalized glottal gap (NGG), and bowing index (BI).

Main Results:

• Significant improvements observed in GRBAS scores, maximum phonation time, jitter, NMWA, NGG, and VHI-10 after VFE.
• No significant changes were noted in the bowing index (BI) post-VFE.
• The historical control group showed no significant improvements.

Conclusions:

• VFE demonstrates significant improvements in subjective, objective, and patient-reported voice outcomes for aged vocal fold atrophy.
• VFE appears to enhance muscular function during voicing rather than altering vocal fold bowing.
• VFE warrants further investigation as a viable treatment for age-related vocal fold atrophy.