Kissel, ImkePapeleu, TineVerbeke, JolienVan Lierde, K.M. (Kristiane)Meerschman, IrisD'haeseleer, Evelien2024-07-192023-04Kissel, I., Papeleu, T., Verbeke, J. et al. 2023, 'Immediate effects of a semi-occluded water-resistance ventilation mask on vocal outcomes in women with dysphonia', Journal of Communication Disorders, vol. 103, art. 106331, pp. 1-15, doi : 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106331.0021-9924 (print)1873-7994 (online)10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106331http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97120INTRODUCTION : Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTEs) are frequently used exercises in voice therapy. An important shortcoming to most SOVTEs is the inability to include continuous speech in these exercises. A variation of water-resistance therapy (WRT), during which a patient phonates through a resonance tube ending in water, was developed to include continuous speech: the semi-occluded water resistance ventilation mask (SOVM-WR). The current study investigated the immediate effects of this innovative technique on vocal outcomes of women with dysphonia. METHODS : A pretest-posttest randomized controlled trial was performed. Twenty female participants were randomly assigned to the experimental SOVM-WR group or the WRT (control) group. A blinded multidimensional voice assessment was conducted before and after a 30-minute therapy session with the assigned technique. RESULTS : No significant changes were found in acoustic or auditory-perceptual vocal outcomes in either of the groups, except for a significant increase in lowest frequency in both groups. Patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) showed significant improvements of vocal comfort, vocal effort, and voice quality in both groups, and participants indicated that they would use the techniques at home. CONCLUSIONS : The similar results of the SOVM-WR to WRT and promising PROMs confirm its suitability as an alternative to the latter technique. Potential reasons for a lack of improvement of objective and auditory-perceptual vocal outcomes are vocal fatigue, tube dimensions and immersion, and the small sample size. Large-scale and longitudinal research is needed to examine whether the SOVM-WR has a higher transfer to spontaneous speech than WRT after a full therapy program.en© 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Communication Disorders . Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Communication Disorders, vol. 103, art. 106331, pp. 1-15, 2023, doi : 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106331.Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTEs)Voice therapyWater-resistance therapy (WRT)Semi-occluded water resistance ventilation mask (SOVM-WR)DysphoniaVocal outcomesWomenSDG-03: Good health and well-beingPostprint Article