A study of the effectiveness of voice therapy in the treatment of 45 patients with nonorganic dysphonia

Forty-five patients diagnosed as having nonorganic dysphonia were assigned in rotation to 1 of 3 groups. Patients in group 1 received no treatment and acted as a control group. Patients in groups 2 and 3 received a program of indirect therapy and direct with indirect therapy, respectively. A range of qualitative and quantitative measures were carried out on all patients before and after treatment to evaluate change in voice quality over time. Results revealed a significant difference between the 3 treatment groups in the amount of change for the voice severity, electrolaryngograph, and shimmer measurements and on ratings provided by a patient questionnaire (P<0.05). However, other measures failed to show significant differences between the 3 groups. Most of the patients (86%) in group 1 showed no significant change on any of the measures. Some patients in treatment group 2 (46%) showed significant change in voice quality. Fourteen out of 15 patients (93%) in treatment group showed significant changes in voice quality.