Abstract
Background
Morbidly obese patients may suffer from vocal disorders, as vocal production is directly related to the volume of the vocal tract, and the large-scale accumulation of fat in this region may interfere with voice production. The aim of this study was to analyze the neck circumference, fundamental frequency, and maximum phonation time of a group of morbidly obese women before and after bariatric surgery.
Methods
An observational, longitudinal, and descriptive study was performed with patients of the Obesity and Related Diseases Surgery Unit of a university hospital. A total of 21 morbidly obese women aged 28–68 years, with a mean age of 41.33 years, participated in the study. Neck circumference was measured using a tape measure. To obtain fundamental frequency values, the patient was asked to produce the vowel [a] at normal intensity and pitch for an average period of 3 s. After recording, the participants were asked to produce the sustained vowels [a], [i], and [u] at normal intensity and pitch, with a stopwatch used to measure maximum phonation time. Eight months after surgery, patients were reassessed using the same data collecting procedures as were carried out prior to surgery.
Results
After surgery, there was an increase in the average value of fundamental frequency and maximum phonation time for all the vowels and a reduction in neck circumference. The differences were statistically significant.
Conclusions
Weight reduction and a consequent decrease in neck circumference affected the changes in maximum phonation time and fundamental frequency values in the voices of these patients, after weight loss.
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Conflict of Interest
The author Lourdes Bernadete Rocha de Souza declares that they have no conflict of interest.
Statement of Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Statement of Human Rights
This study has been approved by the appropriate institutional research ethics committee under number 207.630/2013 and has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Contribution of Each Author
Author I participated in the overall coordination of the research and preparation of the manuscript.
Author II contributed in the data analysis and preparation of the manuscript.
Author III had a substantial contribution to the analysis and interpretation of results.
Author IV had a substantial contribution in data collection.
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This study was conducted at the Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and SCODE—Obesity Surgery and Diseases Correlated in a university hospital.
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de Souza, L.B.R., Pernambuco, L.d.A., dos Santos, M.M. et al. Neck Circumference and Vocal Parameters in Women Before and After Bariatric Surgery. OBES SURG 26, 576–580 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1785-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1785-5