Purpose This is a retrospective study to evaluate the results of surgical treatment of patients with pathological sulcus vocalis. Methods Thirty-six patients with pathological sulcus underwent surgery and in 33 cases were performed additional injection laryngoplasty. The pre- and postoperative evaluation of patients included the GRBAS scale, stroboscopic, and objective acoustic voice assessment. The Voice Handicap Index questionnaire (VHI-30) was also used and the scores were obtained from 33 patients. Results The stroboscopic evaluation showed significant improvement of amplitude, mucosal wave, and glottal closure after treatment (p < 0.001). The VHI-30 scores decreased considerably indicating improvement due to the treatment for all aspects measured by VHI (p < 0.05, or p < 0.01). In all domains of GRBAS scale, the differences between preoperative and postoperative assessment were statistically significant (p < 0.001). We observed a significant change in Shim and APQ parameters (p < 0.05). Improvement was also observed in the sAPQ parameter, but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.051). For the remaining acoustic parameters, no changes were observed. Conclusions The surgical procedure with supplementary injection laryngoplasty of the vocal folds is a good treatment option for pathological sulcus vocalis. The post-treatment self-assessment indicates the significant improvement in VHI, just as perceptual–acoustic evaluation of voice does. Patients with pathological sulcus frequently present with amplitude disturbances, what explains their significant improvement after treatment.

Traditional voice evaluations, including imaging techniques, auditory-perceptual ratings, and acoustic and aerodynamic analyses, fail to assess the global handicap that a patient experiences as a result of a voice disorder. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is currently one of the most widely used and psychometrically robust instruments for measuring voice disability. The aim of the study is to translate and validate a Polish version of the VHI. The original English-language version of VHI-30 was translated into Polish. We enrolled 188 subjects—123 patients (91 women and 32 men) with voice disorders and 65 controls (53 women and 12 men) without voice disorders. Results obtained by the patients were significantly higher than those obtained by the controls on the Emotional subscale (U = 519.0; p < 0.001), Functional (U = 829.0; p < 0.001), Physical (U = 331.0; p < 0.001), and the global score (U = 390.0; p < 0.001). There were statistically significant negative correlations between maximum phonation time and global score (rho = −0.31; p < 0.01) as well as all three subscales. Shimmer and Smoothed Amplitude Perturbation Quotient were correlated positively with the global score (rho = 0.22; p < 0.05; rho = 0.25; p < 0.01, respectively) and with all three subscales. There were also statistically significant correlations between VHI scores and auditory perceptual evaluation. In the patient group, there was excellent internal consistency (α = 0.97) and strong test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.94). The cut-off value equal to 17 points was estimated. The Polish VHI showed excellent internal consistency, good test–retest reproducibility, and clinical validity. It is a useful tool for evaluating the voice disability perceived by a patient.

Purpose: In most cases, tinnitus co-exists with hearing loss, suggesting that poorer speech understanding is simply due to a lack of acoustic information reaching the central nervous system (CNS). However, it also happens that patients with tinnitus who have normal hearing also report problems with speech understanding, and it is possible to suppose that tinnitus is to blame for difficulties in perceptual processing of auditory information. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the auditory processing abilities of normally hearing subjects with and without tinnitus. Methods: The study group comprised 97 adults, 54 of whom had normal hearing and chronic tinnitus (the study group) and 43 who had normal hearing and no tinnitus (the control group). The audiological assessment comprised pure-tone audiometry and high-frequency pure-tone audiometry, impedance audiometry, and distortion product oto-acoustic emission assessment. To evaluate possible auditory processing deficits, the Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), Duration Pattern Test (DPT), Dichotic Listening Test (DLT), and Gap Detection Threshold (GDT) tests were performed. Results: The tinnitus subjects had significantly lower scores than the controls in the gap detection test (p < 0.01) and in the dichotic listening test (p < 0.001), but only for the right ear. The results for both groups were similar in the temporal ordering tests (FPT and DPT). Right-ear advantage (REA) was found for the controls, but not for the tinnitus subjects. Conclusion: In normally hearing patients, the presence of tinnitus may be accompanied with auditory processing difficulties.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to gauge the clinical usefulness of the Derkay scale in assessing the severity of voice dysfunction in patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). Material and Methods: The study included 29 patients (8 women and 21 men) with a mean age of 40.2 years. To subjectively assess each patient’s voice, the Polish version of the Voice Handicap Index questionnaire was used. Acoustic parameters were calculated using the Multidimensional Voice Program, which included mean fundamental frequency (F0), frequency changes (% Jitter), amplitude changes (% Shimmer), noise-to-harmonic ratios (NHRs), and the soft phonation Index (SPI). The stage of RRP was assessed using the Derkay scale, together with the anatomical location of the lesion (from laryngeal endoscopy) and the impact RRP had on the general condition of the patient. Results: In women, Derkay clinical and total scores showed significant, positive, and strong correlations with almost all VHI-30 subscales (rho = 0.73–0.76). In men, the correlations were weaker (rho = 0.38–0.55) but were strong between the Derkay total score and F0 and total score and Jitter (rho = 0.63–0.65). Patients with human papilloma virus HPV-6 had significantly higher soft phonation index values (M = 11.97) compared to patients with HPV-11 (M = 6.91, U = 34.0; p = 0.019). Conclusions: The Derkay classification system correlates well with objective acoustic frequency measures and patient-reported voice outcomes. The system may be helpful in identifying patients at increased risk of voice dysfunction. It could be used to guide decisions about voice assessment and rehabilitation.

Wstęp: Nawracająca brodawczakowatość układu oddechowego (RRP) jest rzadką chorobą, która może powodować zaburzenia głosu o różnym stopniu nasilenia oraz ograniczenie drożności dróg oddechowych. Wśród wirusów brodawczaka ludzkiego (HPV) typy 6 i 11 – należące do grupy niskoonkogennych wirusów – są odpowiedzialne za ponad 90% przypadków RRP. Największym problemem w leczeniu tej choroby jest bardzo duża skłonność do nawrotów, wymagających kolejnych, niejednokrotnie częstych reoperacji. Celem pracy była charakterystyka grupy pacjentów leczonych chirurgicznie z powodu nawracającej brodawczakowatości krtani.Materiał i metody: Materiał obejmował 38 pacjentów z RRP leczonych chirurgicznie. U wszystkich osób przeprowadzono badanie podmiotowe oraz badanie laryngologiczno-foniatryczne obejmujące laryngowideostroboskopię (LVS), ocenę percepcyjną i akustyczną głosu oraz subiektywną ocenę głosu przez pacjenta z wykorzystaniem kwestionariusza Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Zaawansowanie zmian brodawczakowatych w obrębie krtani było oceniane klinicznie i anatomicznie na podstawie systemu opracowanego przez Derkaya i wsp. Oznaczanie typu wirusa HPV przeprowadzano z pobranej tkanki przy pomocy komercyjnego zestawu Maxwell FSC DNA IQ Casework Kit na aparacie Maxwell RSC zgodnie z protokołem producenta.Wyniki: Najczęściej występującym typem wirusa w badanej grupie był HPV 6 (78,9% badanych). Analiza wyników nie wykazała zależności istotnych statystycznie pomiędzy typem wirusa HPV a płcią, wiekiem pacjentów czy liczbą przebytych zabiegów operacyjnych (p ≥ 0,390). Najczęściej występującym czynnikiem ryzyka wystąpienia RRP okazał się refluks krtaniowo-gardłowy (57,9% badanych). Zaobserwowano wyższe wartości skali Derkaya u pacjentów z HPV 11 niż u pacjentów z HPV 6, jednak różnica ta nie była istotna statystycznie (p = 0,470). U pacjentów niezaszczepionych przeciw HPV wartości skali Derkaya były istotnie statystycznie wyższe w stosunku do pacjentów zaszczepionych (p = 0,003).Wnioski: Należy rozważyć działania profilaktyczne i terapeutyczne w odniesieniu do refluksu krtaniowo-gardłowego oraz szczepienie przeciwko HPV jako terapii uzupełniających i wpływających na częstość nawrotów RRP