SIMPLE VOCAL TASKS FOR DETECTING VOCAL FOLD SWELLING

The purpose of this pilot study was to test the validity and reliability of three simple vocal tasks in detecting vocal fold swelling in a group of 43 subjects that included singers and nonsingers. The tasks consisted of softly sung staccato, legato, and trilled phrases, primarily at high pitches in falsetto register. A male laryngologist and female speech pathologist served as both elicitors and judges of vocal productions. On each task, a subject's performance was rated perceptually on a scale of 1-10 according to previously specified criteria. Laryngeal videostroboscopic examinations, which were performed subsequently, provided the visual basis for each subject's diagnosis and for perceptual rating of lesion severity or, in the case of vocal fold swelling, of size and shape. Auditory-perceptual rating scores of subjects' performances did not differ significantly as a function of elicitor. However, small interjudge differences were found on two of the three tasks. Median scores derived from rated performance of the subject group as a whole were significantly correlated with the presence of vocal fold pathologies. When data of singers and nonsingers were analyzed separately, these correlations were strengthened for singers and nullified for nonsingers. Performance scores on staccato and legato tasks were more strongly correlated with the presence of vocal fold swelling than scores on the trill task. Stepwise regression showed that both size and shape of the swellings contributed to the variance in legato and staccato task performance, but that size appeared to have a greater effect on performance scores. Based on these results, it is possible that the legato and staccato tasks may be useful tests for detecting vocal fold swelling in singers. © 1990 Raven Press, Ltd., New York.