Active clinical trials for "Voice Disorders"

Voice therapy is the standard-of-care for many of the nearly 140 million people in the United States who suffer from voice disorders,1 yet patients claim that current therapies are ineffective at meeting their voice needs.2 Published data by our research team indicate that patients think that transfer of target voice techniques to every day voice use (i.e. conversation) is the most difficult aspect of therapy,2 and that training techniques in conversation is the most useful aspect of voice therapy.2 Unfortunately, traditional voice therapy programs spend little, if any, time training voice techniques in conversation.3 This lack of functional specificity in voice therapy may contribute to the estimated 65% attrition rate.4 Even after some form of treatment, patients are still struggling with daily conversational voice use, and voice disorders continue to cause serious disability, stress and depression, which negatively affects social functioning and job performance.5 A new voice therapy program, Conversation Training Therapy (CTT), based on published patient reports on dissatisfaction with traditional therapy, was developed by the Investigators. It was honed with recommendations from expert clinical voice-specialized speech-language pathologists, and successfully piloted in a small case series of patients with voice problems. The investigators objective in this application is to test CTT in the rehabilitation of patients with voice disorders. The investigators hypothesize that, as demonstrated in the investigators preliminary case studies, these methods will result in early treatment success, and reduce the time required to reach therapeutic goals, thereby reducing costs associated with voice treatment.

The objective of this clinical and experimental study was to verify the immediate effect of vocal techniques: vibration, nasal sound and articulation in women without vocal complaints.

The purpose of the study "A comparison of vocal demands with vocal performance among classroom teachers" is to gather information about the voice production of teachers using three separate strategies: (a) measures of voice assessed with the Computerized Speech Lab (CSL) and the Phonatory Aerodynamic System (PAS) instruments in the SIUC Voice Lab.

This research study is designed to improve understanding about voice disorders that are due to uncontrolled muscle contractions affecting the voice box. The type of voice disorder depends on which muscles of the voice box are involved. Abductor spasmodic dysphonia may lead to a weak voice. Adductor spasmodic dysphonia may result in a strangled voice. Muscular tension dysphonia may lead to a strained voice. Some of the major goals of the study are to; understand how sensation from the voice box affects voice and speech production develop better ways to diagnose sensation abnormalities affecting the voice box determine if patients with voice disorders differ from persons without voice disorders in the way they respond to sensory information from their voice box Researchers believe that by understanding better how sensations of the voice box are presented and how the muscles in the larynx respond to those sensations they will be able to develop better treatments for patients suffering from voice disorders. ...

Laryngeal disorders after childhood cardiac surgery is a complication well described in the literature. However, the long term progression of the affected children has never been studied (all the studies stopped before 2 years of follow up).

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 transmits through droplets; thus, oral, nasal, and conjunctival mucosas are related to contamination, and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) is strongly suggested. Several communication problems between the patient and healthcare workers related to PPE use are reported. In this study, investigators aimed to investigate changes in the acoustic parameters of speech sounds when different PPE are used.

In a retrospective analysis of already existing clinical assessment data from patients with functional voice disorders the following aspects will be sampled, encoded and analysed: Outcomes pre and post treatment of subjective voice symptoms measured by Voice Handicap Index (VHI-9i), perceptual voice symptoms according to Grading-Roughness-Breathiness-Asthenia-Strain Scale (GRBAS Scale), instrumental acoustic analysis parameters Jitter (%), speaking voice profile: mean and range of speaking pitch and intensity, max. intensity and mean pitch of calling voice, singing voice: min./max. and range of pitch and intensity, maximum phonation time, Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI).

This study will look for abnormalities in a brain of persons affected with spasmodic dysphonia, a form of movement disorder that involves involuntary "spasms" of the muscles in the vocal folds causing breaks of speech and affecting voice quality. The causes of this disorder are not known. The study will compare results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in people with spasmodic dysphonia and in healthy volunteers. People with adductor or abductor spasmodic dysphonia and healthy volunteers may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination, and a test called nasolaryngoscopy. For this test, the inside of the subject's nose is sprayed with a decongestant, and a small, flexible tube called a nasolaryngoscope is passed through the nose to the back of the throat to allow examination of the larynx (voice box). During this procedure, the subject is asked to perform tasks such as talking, singing, whistling, and saying prolonged vowels. The nasolaryngoscope is connected to a camera to record the movements of the vocal folds during these tasks. Eligible participants then undergo MRI of the brain. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves instead of x-rays to obtain images of body organs and tissues. For this test, the subject lies on a table that slides into the MRI scanner, a narrow metal cylinder, wearing ear plugs to muffle loud knocking sound that occurs during the scan. During MRI anatomical images of the brain are obtained. Subject may be asked to participate in up to two scanning sessions. Each session takes about 1-1/2 hours. Participants may also be asked to volunteer for a brain donation program which is optional. Information gained from donated tissue may lead to better treatments and potential cures for spasmodic dysphonia.

Some voice disorders are caused by uncontrolled muscle actions that affect the larynx or voice box. The purpose of this study is to understand 1) how the brain controls voice production; 2) how changes in sensation within the voice box affect brain control of the voice box; 3) how the central nervous system is affected when people have motor or sensory abnormalities that affect the voice box; and 4) whether patients with voice disorders differ from people without voice disorders in the way the brain controls the voice box. By better understanding these concepts, researchers hope to develop improved treatments for patients with voice disorders. Forty-five healthy adult volunteers and 90 patients with voice disorders will participate in this study. Participants must be between the ages of 20 and 70. The study will involve two visits to the Clinical Center. During the first visit, participants will undergo a medical history and physical exam. During the second visit, investigators will perform the following procedures on study participants: 1) look at the voice box with a nasolaryngoscope, a fine tube through the nose; 2) use MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] to record brain activity while participants use their voice to speak; 3) changing sensation in the voice box by dripping a topical anesthetic onto the vocal folds; and 4) using MRI to again record brain activity during speech immediately after applying the topical anesthetic. Participants will receive up to $700 in compensation for their involvement in this study.

The purpose the study is to determine the genetic causes of specific voice disorders that run in families. Researchers are particularly interested in two conditions; Spasmodic dysphonia Vocal fold paralysis Familial vocal fold paralysis can be a life-threatening disorder that can cause difficulty with vocal fold movement for breathing and voice and sometimes for swallowing. Studies are ongoing at the NIH to better understand the pathophysiology and to relate it to the genetic pattern of inheritance. Families are being recruited to participate in these studies and are being provided with further information on the disorder and genetic counseling if desired. Physician referral is requested for affected members of families with vocal fold paralysis of an unknown cause occurring over at least 2 generations. All travel, lodging, examination and counseling costs are covered for both affected and unaffected members of a family. Examinations include: voice, laryngeal, neurological, electrodiagnostic testing, genetic counseling, and radiological studies....