Telephony-based voice pathology assessment using automated speech analysis.
A system for remotely detecting vocal fold pathologies using telephone-quality speech is presented. The system uses a linear classifier, processing measurements of pitch perturbation, amplitude perturbation and harmonic-to-noise ratio derived from digitized speech recordings. Voice recordings from the Disordered Voice Database Model 4337 system were used to develop and validate the system. Results show that while a sustained phonation, recorded in a controlled environment, can be classified as normal or pathologic with accuracy of 89.1%, telephone-quality speech can be classified as normal or pathologic with an accuracy of 74.2%, using the same scheme. Amplitude perturbation features prove most robust for telephone-quality speech. The pathologic recordings were then subcategorized into four groups, comprising normal, neuromuscular pathologic, physical pathologic and mixed (neuromuscular with physical) pathologic. A separate classifier was developed for classifying the normal group from each pathologic subcategory. Results show that neuromuscular disorders could be detected remotely with an accuracy of 87%, physical abnormalities with an accuracy of 78% and mixed pathology voice with an accuracy of 61%. This study highlights the real possibility for remote detection and diagnosis of voice pathology.
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland. rosalyn.moran@ee.ucd.ie
Rosalyn J
RJ
Moran
Richard B
RB
Reilly
Philip
P
de Chazal
Peter D
PD
Lacy
D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013018:Sound Spectrography / Q000379:methods*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013068:Speech Production Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D049250:Speech Recognition Software; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone