Kymographic characteristics of voice in women with Polycystic ovary syndrome

ABSTRACT Purpose Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is heterogenous condition with commonly associated symptoms include irregular menstrual cycle, hirsutism, baldness, adult acne, and weight gain There have been few attempts at profiling the voice characteristics of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Videokymography enables to detect even subtle variations in vocal fold vibrations. The aim of the present study was to study the videokymographic characteristics among women with PCOS. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 50 women with and without PCOS diagnosed on ultrasonography. Videokymography was carried out and the characteristics were perceptually analyzed using a vocal fold kymographic rating scale. The analysis of the kymogram was done for the following characteristics; presence of vocal fold vibration,interference of surroundings, Cycle to cycle variability, left-right asymmetry,cycle aberrations and shape of lateral peaks. The kymographic images were obtained for all the participants of both the groups and a subjective consensus evaluation was done by two clinicians. The percentage of participants with the listed kymographic characteristics were tabulated. Chi Square test was also done to decide if there was a significant difference between the two groups for different kymographic features of vocal fold vibration. Results Six of the 25 women with PCOS were found to have abnormal kymographic features such as surrounding structural interference, presence of cycle to cycle variability and the shape of lateral peaks. Conclusion Early detection of the vocal abnormalities in individuals with PCOS would help in the vocal rehabilitation especially for professional voice users.

Voice in chronic hemodialyzed individuals.

Objective: Chronic hemodialysis affects various body systems, one of which is the respiratory system. Since respiration is the prime source for speech, vocal dysfunctions are expected to be present in patients with chronic hemodialysis. The present study attempts to shed light on the changes in acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics of voice, if any, in patients with chronic hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: Phonation of sustained vowel/a/sample was subjected to acoustic analysis using VAGHMI software. Sustained duration of/a/,/s/, and/z/ was recorded for the purpose of aerodynamic analysis. The independent t test was employed to find the significant difference between the two groups. Results: Chronic hemodialyzed subjects showed significant deviation in frequency, perturbation, and aerodynamic measures when compared to normal subjects. These results are discussed with respect to the underlying pathophysiology. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that subjects with chronic hemodialysis exhibit clinical evidence of voice disorders. Vocal deviations in chronic hemodialyzed subjects are explained due to the influence of the renal system on the respiratory and the phonatory system and the negative fluid balance effect of hemodialysis.