title: [Use of relative energy in low frequency area to describe the severity of hypernasality in cleft palate patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find an objective index to describe the severity of hypernasality in cleft palate patients through speech spectroanalysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  60 audio records of cleft palate patients were analyzed by spectroanalysis, the relative energy in low frequency area (REL) was calculated in the LPC spectrogram. One experienced speech therapist and two nonprofessionals made perceptual judgments of the same records. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to test if the 3 groups of data have significant correlations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  REL had significant correlation with professional judgments (correlation coefficient was 0.272, P < 0.05) and nonprofessional judgments (correlation coefficient was 0.274, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  REL can be used as one objective reference in the judgment of the severity of hypernasality.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu.
authors.forename: Wen-lang
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002972:Cleft Palate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013060:Speech