Letter to the Editor: Aerodynamic Measures in Muscle Tension Dysphonia

In the recent article from Belsky et al, 1 Belsky MA Rothenberger SD Gillespie AI et al. Do phonatory aerodynamic and acoustic measures in connected speech differ between vocally healthy adults and patients diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia?. J Voice. 2021; 35 ([published online ahead of print, 2020 Jan 10]): 663.e1-663.e7https://doi.org/10.1016/jjvoice.2019.12.019 Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar which evaluates aerodynamic and acoustic measurements in healthy patients and patients with primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), the authors concluded that connected speech from patients diagnosed with MTD essentially reflect normal acoustic and aerodynamic values. We greatly appreciated the authors for their work and for their effort in including aerodynamic studies in the assessment of MTD, which we think is important for the understanding of this voice disorder. However, we think that several major issues need to be clarified. Do Phonatory Aerodynamic and Acoustic Measures in Connected Speech Differ Between Vocally Healthy Adults and Patients Diagnosed with Muscle Tension Dysphonia?Journal of VoiceVol. 35Issue 4PreviewOne of the presumed etiologies of primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is a respiratory-phonatory disruption resulting in poor phonatory airflow in speech; however, few data exist on the differences between vocally healthy adults and patients diagnosed with MTD. The goal of this study was to compare aerodynamic and acoustic measures of self-perceived vocally healthy adults with patients diagnosed with MTD. Full-Text PDF Aerodynamic Measures in Muscle Tension DysphoniaJournal of VoiceVol. 35Issue 6PreviewIn the recent article from Belsky et al,1 which evaluates aerodynamic and acoustic measurements in healthy patients and patients with primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), the authors concluded that connected speech from patients diagnosed with MTD essentially reflect normal acoustic and aerodynamic values. We greatly appreciated the authors for their work and for their effort in including aerodynamic studies in the assessment of MTD, which we think is important for the understanding of this voice disorder. Full-Text PDF Author Response to Aerodynamic Measures in Muscle Tension DysphoniaJournal of VoiceVol. 37Issue 3PreviewThank-you for your interest in our article. We agree that estimated subglottal pressure is a valid measure for assessing an extensive aerodynamic profile of an individual with a voice disorder, and members of this author group have published using this measure in other investigations.1,2 In fact, three paragraphs of the article's discussion are devoted to the importance of estimated subglottal pressure. Full-Text PDF