title: Acoustic analysis of voice in children with cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acoustic analysis of voice can provide instrumental data concerning vocal abnormalities. These findings can be used for monitoring clinical course in cases of voice disorders. Cleft palate severely affects the structure of the vocal tract. Hence, voice quality can also be also affected.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study whether the main acoustic parameters of voice, including fundamental frequency, shimmer and jitter are significantly different in patients with a repaired cleft palate, as compared with normal children without speech, language and voice disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen patients with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate and persistent or residual velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) were studied. A control group was assembled with healthy volunteer subjects matched by age and gender. Hypernasality and nasal emission were perceptually assessed in patients with VPI. Size of the gap as assessed by videonasopharyngoscopy was classified in patients with VPI. Acoustic analysis of voice including Fundamental frequency (F0), shimmer and jitter were compared between patients with VPI and control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  F0 was significantly higher in male patients as compared with male controls. Shimmer was significantly higher in patients with VPI regardless of gender. Moreover, patients with moderate VPI showed a significantly higher shimmer perturbation, regardless of gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although future research regarding voice disorders in patients with VPI is needed, at the present time it seems reasonable to include strategies for voice therapy in the speech and language pathology intervention plan for patients with VPI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech & Language Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitacion, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rocio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villafuerte-Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech & Language Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitacion, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Valadez-Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech & Language Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitacion, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Xochiquetzal
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Lopez
authors.affiliation: Ian Jackson Craniofacial and Cleft Palate Clinic, Neuroscience Program, Beaumont Health, Royal Oak, MI, United States. Electronic address: antonio.ysunza@beaumont.edu.
authors.forename: Pablo Antonio
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ysunza
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000150:complications; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014833:Voice Quality
keywords: Acoustics; Cleft palate; Speech; Voice