Vocal Health Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions
Summary
Vocal health assessment integrates perceptual, acoustic, aerodynamic and imaging techniques to characterise voice function and detect pathological changes. Perceptual evaluation relies on trained listeners to rate voice quality, while acoustic analysis quantifies parameters such as fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer and cepstral peak prominence. Aerodynamic measures assess airflow and subglottal pressure during phonation. Endoscopic imaging, including videolaryngoscopy and high-speed video, visualises vocal fold vibration and structural lesions. Therapeutic interventions span behavioural voice therapy, semi-occluded vocal tract exercises and surgical procedures. Rehabilitation protocols aim to optimise vocal fold closure, reduce hyperfunction and restore efficient phonation. Emerging technologies such as ambulatory monitoring and telehealth platforms enable continuous voice use tracking and remote screening. Surgical techniques, including targeted nerve reinnervation, address severe paralysis and improve long-term phonatory outcomes. Advances in machine learning and wearable sensors promise more accurate, accessible and personalised pathways for prevention, assessment and treatment of voice disorders worldwide.
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Vocal Health Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in vocal health assessment and therapeutic interventions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Unilateral vocal fold paralysis: Impaired movement of one vocal fold causing breathy or weak phonation.
Laryngeal endoscopic imaging: Visualisation of vocal fold structure and vibration using a flexible or rigid endoscope.
Ambulatory voice monitoring: Continuous collection of vocal activity data via wearable sensors during daily life.
Laryngeal reinnervation: Surgical restoration of nerve supply to impaired vocal folds to regain muscle function.
Machine learning-based screening: Automated evaluation of acoustic features by algorithms to detect voice disorders.
References
- Identifying bias in models that detect vocal fold paralysis from audio recordings using explainable machine learning and clinician ratings. PLOS Digital Health (2024).
- Recommended Protocols for Instrumental Assessment of Voice: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Expert Panel to Develop a Protocol for Instrumental Assessment of Vocal Function. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (2018).
- Using Ambulatory Voice Monitoring to Investigate Common Voice Disorders: Research Update. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2015).
- Cepstral Peak Prominence Values for Clinical Voice Evaluation. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (2020).
- Laryngeal Reinnervation Using Ansa Cervicalis for Thyroid Surgery-Related Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Long-Term Outcome Analysis of 237 Cases. PLOS ONE (2011).
- Immediate effects of the phonation into a straw exercise. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (2011).
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