Measurements Acoustic Voice Quality Following Tonsillectomy

A prospective non randomized study evalueted the effects of tonsillectomy on acoustic aspects of vocal function. Twenty children, ranging in age from six to fourteen years participated and measurements were made prior, three and thirty days following surgery. Quantitative acoustic measures included: laryngeal (vocal fundamental frequence, F0), and oropharyngeal characteristics of sustained vowels (F1 – F4 formants). Resultats show that in the early postoperative period there are significant changes in fundamental, laryngeal frequences for all vowels and the whole sentence. Resultats that we have from later postoperative period demonstrate that removing of tonsills has only minimal impact on quantitative aspects of the vocal function, when measurements are made thirty days post surgery. From the acoustic evaluation, the changes in articulation due to surgery were considered to be negligible in clinical practice, although with professional vocalists it seemed to be a problem that cannot be disregarded. When we consider the evaluation of changes in the asoustic quality of voice of non – professionals then it has no more important value in clinical practice, but with professional voices especially those of singers, it is not to be ignored.