Correlation between the Voice Handicap Index and voice measurements in four groups of patients with dysphonia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the correlation between the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and objective voice measurements in patients with dysphonia of different origin.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Otolaryngology department in a university hospital.


METHODS
One hundred fifteen patients consulting for voice disorders were enrolled in the study: 32 presented with functional dysphonia (Group 1), 24 with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (Group 2), 30 with structural dysphonia (Group 3), and 29 with nodules (Group 4). From each patient, the maximum phonation time (MPT) and a voice spectrogram were obtained: patients with type 1 signal underwent perturbation analysis. Each patient completed the VHI.


RESULTS
No significant difference across the four groups, in the VHI scores and voice measurements, was found. The correlation between the different voice measurements was good, while those between the VHI domains were very good. Considering the patients with type 1 signal (n = 80) all together, the correlations between VHI and voice laboratory measurements ranged between poor and good. Analyzing each patient group separately, good correlations were found between MPT and functional and physical VHI domain in Group 1 (r = 0.58 and 0.68), jitter and functional VHI domain in Group 2 (r = 0.61), MPT and functional VHI domain in Group 3 (r = 0.52), and physical VHI domain and jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio in Group 4 (r = 0.58, 0.77, 0.76).


CONCLUSIONS
The VHI and the voice laboratory measurements give independent information. However, the correlation between VHI and some laboratory measurements increases in populations with voice disorder of the same origin.
Schindler
Antonio
A
Department of Clinical Sciences L Sacco, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Mozzanica
Francesco
F
Vedrody
Miriam
M
Maruzzi
Patrizia
P
Ottaviani
Francesco
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric