The Effect of Supraclavicular Radiotherapy on Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), Spectral Amplitude and Perturbation Values

The Effect of Supraclavicular Radiotherapy on Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), Spectral Amplitude and Perturbation Values: The Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), spectral amplitude, and voice perturbation parameters are objective assessment methods that are used in clinical settings and for research purposes. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of supraclavicular RT on the physiology and function of the vocal fold.

Methods

A total of 29 female patients were included in the study. The voices of the patients, who were diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent supraclavicular RT, were recorded before and after the treatment (1 and 6 months). AVQI, spectral amplitude (H1-H2, H1-A1, H1-A2, H1-A3) and acoustic analyses of the voice perturbation parameters were performed.

Results

AVQI was significantly higher in the first month (P < 0.05). Of the voice perturbation parameters, shimmer was found to be significantly high in the first month (P < 0.05). However, not all spectral amplitude values showed a significant change (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

In this study, AVQI and shimmer values were found to be higher following the application of supraclavicular RT. These results showed that nonlaryngeal RT might cause changes in the acoustic values of the voice in the early stage.

Key Words:

Radiotherapy, Acoustic measurement, Acoustic Voice Quality Index, Spectral amplitude