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Acoustic parameter changes after bariatric surgery
Fakih Cihat Eravci1, Barış Doğu Yildiz2, Kürşat Murat Özcan3
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Meram Medical Faculty, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
Bariatric surgery significantly impacts voice acoustics. Weight loss alters vocal tract dimensions, affecting fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and formant frequencies, particularly in patients with reduced Mallampati scores.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Speech Science
- Bariatric Surgery Research
Background:
- Obesity can alter pharyngeal lumen size and vocal tract configuration.
- Vocal tract dimensions are critical determinants of voice characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate acoustic parameter changes in vowels post-bariatric surgery.
- To correlate voice changes with weight loss and Mallampati score alterations.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study of 15 bariatric surgery patients.
- Acoustic analysis of vowels (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/) pre- and post-surgery (6 months).
- Evaluation of Fundamental Frequency (F0), Formant Frequencies (F1-F4), Jitter, Shimmer, and Noise-to-Harmonics Ratio (NHR).
Main Results:
- Significant weight loss (122kg to 80kg) and BMI reduction observed.
- General trends: decreased F0, increased jitter and shimmer.
- Specific formant frequency changes showed statistical significance between groups based on Mallampati score changes.
Conclusions:
- Successful weight loss after bariatric surgery can alter specific voice characteristics.
- Changes in vocal tract length, shape, tongue position may influence formant frequencies.
- Acoustic voice analysis can detect subtle changes related to significant weight reduction.
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