ABSTRACT
TEMA: o controle do tamanho da abertura velofaríngea é uma variável importante na caracterização do perfil acústico da fala hipernasal. OBJETIVO: investigar os aspectos espectrais das frequências de F1, F2, F3, formante nasal(FN) e anti-formante, em Hertz, para as vogais [a] e [ã] na presença de aberturas feitas no bulbo de réplicas da prótese de palato de uma paciente com insuficiência velofaríngea. MÉTODO: gravações de produções de quatro palavras ("pato/mato" e "panto/manto") inseridas em frase veículo foram obtidas em cinco condições de funcionamento velofaríngeo: prótese sem aberturas (condição controle: CC), prótese com abertura de 10mm² no bulbo (condição experimental - CE10), com abertura de 20mm² (condição experimental - CE20), com abertura de 30mm² (condição experimental - CE30), e sem prótese (condição experimental aberta - CEA). Cinco fonoaudiólogos julgaram a nasalidade de fala ao vivo, durante a leitura de um texto oral. As gravações foram usadas para análise espectral. RESULTADOS: valores de F1 foram significativamente mais altos para [a] que para [ã] em todas as condições. Valores de F2 para [a] em CE20 e CE30 foram significantemente mais baixos que nas outras condições, aproximando-se dos valores para [ã]. Valores de F3 não foram significativamente diferentes nas diferentes condições. Houve relação entre os achados de FN e anti-formantes e a percepção de nasalidade para as condições CE10 e CE20. CONCLUSÃO: foram observadas mudanças significativas nos valores espectrais estudados de acordo com alterações no tamanho da abertura velofaríngea.
BACKGROUND: the size control of velopharyngeal opening is an important variable for the acoustic profile characterization of hypernasal speech. AIM: to investigate frequency spectral aspects of F1, F2, F3, nasal formant (FN) and anti-formant, in Hertz, for vowels [a] and 
at different velopharyngeal openings produced in the bulb of a palatal prosthesis replica used by a patient with velopharyngeal insufficiency. METHOD: speech recordings were obtained for four words ("pato/mato" and "panto/manto") produced within a carrier phrase in 5 conditions of velopharyngeal functioning: prosthesis with no openings (control condition: CC); prosthesis with bulb opening of 10mm² (experimental condition with 10mm² opening: EC10), prosthesis with a 20mm² opening (EC20), prosthesis with a 30mm² openning (EC30), and without the prosthesis (ECO). Five speech-language pathologists made a live rating of speech nasality during the reading of an oral passage. The recordings were used for spectral analysis. RESULTS: F1 values were significantly higher for [a] when compared to in all conditions. F2 values for [a] in EC20 and EC30 were significantly lower than values in the other conditions, being closer to the values presented for . F3 values were not significantly different between the testing conditions. There was a relationship between FN and anti-formants, and the auditory perception of nasality for conditions EC10 and EC20. CONCLUSION: significant changes were observed in the studied spectral values according to changes in the velopharyngeal opening size.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Female , Humans , Palatal Obturators , Speech Acoustics , Voice Quality , Velopharyngeal Insufficiency , Analysis of Variance , Spectrum Analysis , Sound Spectrography/methods , Speech Disorders , Speech Production Measurement/methodsABSTRACT
Nasoendoscopy is an important tool for assessing velopharyngeal function. The purpose of this study was to analyze velar and pharyngeal wall movement and velopharyngeal gap during nasoendoscopic evaluation of the velopharynx before and during diagnostic therapy. Nasoendoscopic recordings of 10 children with operated cleft lip and palate were analyzed according to the International Working Group Guidelines. Ratings of movement of velum and pharyngeal walls, and size, location and shape of gaps were analyzed by 3 speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Imaging was obtained during repetitions of the syllable /pa/ during a single nasoendoscopic evaluation: (a) before diagnostic therapy, and (b) after the children were instructed to impound and increase intraoral air pressure (diagnostic therapy). Once the patients impounded and directed air pressure orally, the displacement of the velum, right, left and posterior pharyngeal walls increased 40, 70, 80, and 10%, respectively. Statistical significance for displacement was found only for right and left lateral pharyngeal walls. Reduction in gap size was observed for 30% of the patients and other 40% of the gaps disappeared. Changes in gap size were found to be statistically significant between the two conditions. In nasoendoscopic assessment, the full potential of velopharyngeal displacement may not be completely elicited when the patient is asked only to repeat a speech stimulus. Optimization of information can be done with the use of diagnostic therapys strategies to manipulate VP function. Assuring the participation of the SLP to conduct diagnostic therapy is essential for management of velopharyngeal dysfunction.