Development and evaluation of a new intraoral voice assist device called the voice retriever
Issued Date
2024-01-01
Resource Type
eISSN
23788038
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85183846432
Journal Title
Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology (2024)
Suggested Citation
Yamada T., Yamaguchi K., Horike A., Takahashi K., Amornsuradech S., Nakagawa K., Yoshimi K., Tohara H. Development and evaluation of a new intraoral voice assist device called the voice retriever. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology (2024). doi:10.1002/lio2.1204 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/97100
Title
Development and evaluation of a new intraoral voice assist device called the voice retriever
Author's Affiliation
Corresponding Author(s)
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Abstract
Objective: Patients lose their voice after laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer or aspiration prevention surgery for severe dysphagia. To assist such patients, we developed and verified the utility of a novel vocalization method using a device termed the voice retriever (VR), in which the sound source is placed in the mouth. Methods: We investigated the effectiveness of the VR in patients. The VR consists of a mouthpiece with a built-in speaker and a dedicated application that serves as the sound source. We compared the speech intelligibility and naturalness in normal participants using VR and an electrolarynx (EL) for the first time as well as the voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL) in patients with dysphonia before and after using the VR. Results: The VR produced significantly higher 100-syllable test scores as well as fluency, amount of additional noise, intonation, intelligibility and overall long reading test ratings in the first-time VR and EL users. Furthermore, the VR use significantly improved the V-RQOL of participants with dysphonia. Conclusion: Compared to EL, VR allows more effective speech improvement in participants without experience using an alternative vocalization method and improves the V-RQOL in patients with dysphonia. Level of Evidence: Step 4.