Meaningful features of voice range profiles from patients with organic vocal fold pathology: a preliminary study

This preliminary study identifies features that have the potential to be meaningful descriptors of voice range profiles (VRPs) for 15 patients with organic vocal fold pathologies before and after laryngeal surgery. This study also explores the utility of the VRP as an outcome measure of change in vocal function after surgery. Potentially meaningful features for these patients are the semitone range, intensity level of the lower contour, frequency locus of the lower frequency values, smoothness of the contours, and the presence of intermittencies in the VRP contours. These features are not suggested for differential diagnosis, but for aiding the understanding of each individual patient's phonatory status. Initial use of these features suggests that the VRP may be a useful outcome measure for these patients.