The Measurement Of Dysphonia Severity Index Based On Dr.Speech Device And Its Verification

The objective measurement outcome of voice quality is the important reference for clinical decision of voice disorder.Objective voice measurement,as one of essential part of voice assessment,can make up for some disadvantages of perceptual voice evaluation and combine with the laryngoscopy,provide particular information about the vocal function.Dysphonia Severity Index?DSI?invented by Wutys et al.?2000?is an objective multi-parameter index of voice quality and can measure and describe the overall voice quality.Researches indicated that DSI has satisfying validity and realiabilty in voice assessment and monitoring.In 2001,the European Society of Laryngology established DSI as the golden standard for objective parameters of voice disorder.Worldwidely,researchers have conducted studies on DSI for different group of populations and various aspects,among these studies,the measuring equipment of DSI were not always the same,some researchers suggested that the intra-device reliability of DSI measurement should be examined.Dr.Speech?DRS?device as one of the widely used equipments for speech and voice assessment and analysis,can implemente the measuring for various voice parameters,yet the multiparameter voice measurement such as DSI have never been conducted in this device.This study aimed at exploring the feasibility of DSI measurement using DRS device,establish the new model of DSI measurement(DSI_DRS)based on the DRS device;and then verify the discrimination model in the following steps:verifying the prediction accuracy of this discrimination model;examine the intra-device correlation of DSIDRS;exploring the correlation between objective multiparameter voice measurement and self evaluation for voice problems.To implement the DSI measurement based on DRS device,the sound intensity calibration was conducted using a sound level meter.Then,the optimized jitter parameter for DSI_DRS measurement was selected on the basis of G score of GRBAS scale evaluation.Afterwards,the objective voice measurement and self evaluation?Voice Handicap Index?for voice problems were conducted using 54adult patients with various voice disorders and 21 healthy adults.All the obtained data were analyzed as the following steps:firstly,using discriminant analysis statistics to establish the measuring models for DSI_DRSRS and DSI_PRAAT;then,verify the DSI_DRSRS model in clinical practice by examing the consistency of model discrimination and perceptual rating of voice quality;subsequently,analyzed the correlation of all the parameters and value of DSI between the device DRS and Praat;finally,analyze the correlation between multiparamter voice measurement(DSI_DRS)and self evaluation for voice problems?VHI?.Results showed that the agreement between observed and predicted of perceived voice quality as expresses by G was higher for DSI_DRS model than for DSI_PRAATRAAT model.The accuracy of the DSI_DRS discriminant function for the voice quality rating of the subjects who were to be determined is 80%,which proves that the discriminant equation model is effective.There were high correlations of DSI and its parameters between measured by DRS device and by Praat software,indicated that the intra-device reliability of DSI measurement is satisfying.There was no significant correlation between DSI_DRS and VHI,while the correlation between perceptual severity rating?G score?and self-evaluation of voice?VHI?were strong,which demonstrated that objective voice measurement and perceptual voice rating reflect different aspects of vocal function and its effects,in clinical practice,those two kinds of assessment cannot replace each other and should be both considered.