Comparison between OperaVOX™ and MDVP: Preliminary Results. (23rd August 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baki, Marina Mat; Wood, Gary; Alston, Marion; Ratcliffe, Philippa; Sandhu, Guri; Rubin, John S.; Birchall, Martin A.
• Is Part Of: Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery. Volume 149(2013)Supplement 2
• Page Start: P203
• Page End: P204
• Publication Date: 2013-08-23
• Subjects: Head -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Neck -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Otolaryngology -- Periodicals; 617.51
• DOI: 10.1177/0194599813496044a185
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0194-5998

Abstract

Abstract : Objectives: Objective evaluation of voice, such as acoustic analysis, provides additional evidence in treatment monitoring. Currently, it is only possible in voice laboratories in hospitals. OperaVOX™ (On Person RApid VOice eXaminer), a portable voice analysis running on an Apple™ iPod, iPhone, and iPad, was developed to enable remote voice assessment. Our goal was to evaluate the agreement between OperaVOX™ and Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP, KayPentax, NJ, USA). Methods: A group of 16 healthy volunteers without voice complaints were recruited from the University College London Hospital NHS Trust from December 2012 until January 2013. Supervised recordings were performed in a quiet room. A five‐second recording of a sustained vowel /a/ was used to measure fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, shimmer, and noise‐to‐harmonic ratio (NHR). The audio files recorded using OperaVOX™ were also analyzed using the MDVP. 95% limit of agreement (LOA) between software was analyzed using the Bland Altman method. Results: The mean difference (SD) of F0, jitter, shimmer, and NHR between OperaVOX™ and MDVP measurements was ‐0.14 (1.28) Hz, ‐0.06 (0.32)%, ‐0.26 (0.67)%, and 0.12 (0.02) respectively. The 95% LOA of OperaVOX™„ to MDVP for F0 was ‐2.67Hz to +2.39Hz; jitter was ‐0.57% to +0.68%; shimmer was ‐1.6% to +1.09%; and NHR was +0.08 to +0.12 compared to MDVP. Conclusions: OperaVOX™ at this stage has been shown to be a promising portable voice analysis tool for measuring the F0, jitter, and shimmer of voice since the 95% LOA were within clinically acceptable levels. Agreement with PRAAT is currently being tested.