Patient-Perceived Vocal Effort Immediately Following Voice Tasks in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia (ADLD)

This study examined the relationship between patient-perceived vocal effort (VE) using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VE-VAS) and the OMNI Vocal Effort Scale (OMNI-VES) when measures were obtained after a vocal activity. A second purpose was to evaluate how VE related to other voice assessment measures. Fifty-three speakers with adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) provided speech recordings. Directly after this vocal activity, speakers rated VE using the VE-VAS and the OMNI-VES. Speakers provided ratings of their own voice quality severity using a 100-mm VAS (ADLD-OS) and completed the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) scale. Ten experienced speech-language pathologists rated a subset of available speech samples (n = 39) for overall voice severity using a 100-mm VAS (SLP-OS). There was a strong, significant correlation (r = 0.78, P