Main Articles

Mutational falsetto: intervention outcomes in 45 patients

M Dagli^a1 c1, I Sati^a2, A Acar^a1, R E Stone Jr^a3, G Dursun^a2 and A Eryilmaz^a1

^a1 Department of Otolaryngology, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Turkey

^a2 Department of Otolaryngology, Ankara University Medical Faculty, Turkey

^a3 Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of therapeutic intervention in patients with mutational falsetto, by applying perceptual and acoustic analysis before and after voice therapy.

Materials and methods: Forty-five consecutive patients with mutational falsetto were studied retrospectively. Acoustic analysis (i.e. fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and formants one, two and three) was performed using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program. Perceptual voice analyses were performed, including graded severity–roughness–breathiness–aesthenicity–strain assessment.

Results: Subjects' fundamental frequency, voice formants one, two and three, jitter, and shimmer were greater before than after treatment. There were statistically significant differences between pre- and post-treatment average values for fundamental frequency, jitter and shimmer. There were also statistically significant differences between pre- and post-treatment average values for formants one and two. These results were maintained after six months of follow up, and there was no significant difference between results at three- and six-month follow up. According to perceptual evaluation, each subject's voice had altered from mutational falsetto to chest voice by completion of the intervention. Thus, all of the patients successfully lowered their modal speaking voice to an appropriate level.

Conclusion: In the light of objective evaluations, and by applying the study treatment protocol, these results suggest that normal voice can be maintained after intervention, at six months' follow up.

(Accepted February 27 2007)

(Online publication May 25 2007)

Key words

• Voice;
• Puberty;
• Larynx;
• Outcome Assessment

Correspondence:

^c1 Address for correspondence: Dr Muharrem Dagli, Cemal Gursel cad No 48/1, Cebeci, 06600 Ankara, Turkey. Fax: 90 312 435 8832 E-mail: mdagli@hotmail.com

Footnotes

Dr M Dagli takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper.

Competing interests: None declared