COMMUNIKAY Vol. 10, No. 1

• Assessing Dysphonia DVD-Video Available
• Publications of Interest…
• Our Customers Ask…
• Technically Speaking…
• Lehiste Receives Kay Phonetics Award
• Calendar of Upcoming Events
• Kay Introduces Video Server

Assessing Dysphonia DVD-Video Available

Kay proudly announces that the video textbook, Assessing Dysphonia: The Role of Videostroboscopy, Model 9235, comprised of three DVD-Videos and one eBook CD-ROM , is now available to Kay stroboscopy customers.

The work of phoniatrician Guy Cornut, M.D., and ENT surgeon, Marc Bouchayer, M.D., this encyclopedic set includes approximately 5 hours of video with 127 patients, 20 of which are cases provided for self-assessment. It covers an expansive range of voice pathology from the dysfunctional disorders to lesions requiring microsurgical intervention, with special sections devoted to the problems of childhood dysphonia, the vocal problems of singers, and the use of videostroboscopy in therapeutic follow-up.

Since its introduction, the work has continued to receive much critical acclaim. In 2000, prior to being digitally re-mastered by Kay, the video textbook was the recipient of the George Davey Howells Memorial Prize in Otolaryngology, as the most distinguished published contribution to the advancement of otolaryngology during the preceding five years.

Called a “chef d’oeuvre, or masterwork,” by Janina K. Casper, Ph.D., SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, NY, in the foreword to the video textbook, she goes on to assert that “careful viewing and reviewing...will enhance the videostroboscopic image interpretation skills of even a well-experienced clinician.”

Writes Peak Woo, M.D., Grabscheid Voice Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, in his foreword, “This video textbook is a beautifully crafted output of a long and fruitful collaboration from two world leaders in phoniatry and phonosurgery.” It “should advance the subject of voice assessment using videostroboscopy for many years to come.”

In addition to accompanying all new strobe orders, Assessing Dysphonia: The Role of Videostroboscopy will be given away, free of charge, to any customer who completes our upcoming online survey.

Details will follow shortly under the What’s New section of the Kay Web site, www.kayelemetrics.com.

Publications of Interest...

Complete abstracts of the following recently published peer-reviewed articles, along with the Kay instrumentation cited in each, can be found under Kay in the News at www.kayelemetrics.com.

Bhuta, Tarika, Linda Patrick, and James D. Garnett. “Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Quality and its Correlation with Acoustic Measurements,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 299-304, September 2004.

Hiss, Susan G., Monica Strauss, Kathleen Treole, Andrew Stuart, and Susan Boutilier. “Effects of Age, Gender, Bolus Volume, Bolus Viscosity, and Gustation on Swallowing Apnea Onset Relative to Lingual Bolus Propulsion Onset in Normal Adults,” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, Vol. 47, pp. 572-582, June 2004.

Hill, R. Keith, C. Blake Simpson, Ruben Velazquez, and Nicole Larson. “Pachydermia is not Diagnostic of Active Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease,” Laryngoscope, Vol. 114, pp. 1557-1561, September 2004.

Kiliç, Mehmet Akif, Fatih Ögüt, Gürsel Dursun, Erdogan Okur, Ilhami Yildirim, and Rasit Midilli. “The Effects of Vowels on Voice Perturbation Measures,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 318-324, September 2004.

Miller, Larry S., Qing Dai, Brett A. Sweitzer, Vinod Thangada, Joseph K. Kim, Beje Thomas, Henry Parkman, and Ahmed M. Soliman. “Evaluation of the Upper Esophageal Sphincter (UES) Using Simultaneous High-Resolution Endoluminal Sonagraphy (HRES) and Manometry,” Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 703-709, May 2004.

Meurer, Eliséa Maria, Maria Celeste Osório Wender, Helena von Eye Corleta, and Edison Capp. “Phono-articulatory Variations of Women in Reproductive Age and Post-menopausal,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 369-374, September 2004.

Johns, Michael M., C. Gaelyn Garrett, Joanna Hwang, Robert H. Ossoff, and Mark S. Courey. “Quality-of-Life Outcomes Following Laryngeal Endoscopic Surgery for Non-Neoplastic Vocal Fold Lesions,” Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, Vol. 113, No. 8, pp. 597-601, August 2004.

Heman-Ackah, Yoland D. “Reliabili-ty of Calculating the Cepstral Peak without Linear Regression Analysis,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 203-208, June 2004.

Akcam, Timur, Erol Bolu, Albert L. Merati, Coskun Durms, Mustafa Gerek, and Yalcin Ozkaptan. “Voice Changes after Androgen Therapy for Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism,” Laryngoscope, Vol. 114, pp. 1587-1591, September 2004.

Speyer, R., G.H. Wieneke, and P.H. Dejonckere. “Documentation of Progress in Voice Therapy: Perceptual, Acoustic, and Laryngostroboscopic Findings Pretherapy and Posttherapy,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 325-340, September 2004.

Chhetri, Dinesh, K., Babak Jahan-Parwar, Stephen D. Hart, Sunita M. Bhuta, Gerald S. Berke. “Injection Laryngoplasty with Calcium Hydroxylapatite Gel Implant in an In Vivo Canine Model,” Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, Vol. 113, No. 4, pp. 259-264, April 2004.

Cruz, Walter Paiva, Abrão Rapoport, Rogério Aparecido Dedivitis, and André Vicente Guimarães. “Videolaryngostrobo-scopy Following Frontolateral Laryngectomy with Sternohyoid Flap,” Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, Vol. 113, No. 2, pp. 124-127, February 2004.

Olson, David, E.L., Raul M. Cruz, Krzysztof Izdebski, and Tracey Baldwin. “Muscle Tension Dysphonia in Patients who Use Computerized Speech Recognition Systems,” Ear, Nose, and Throat Journal, Vol. 83, No. 3, pp. 195-198, March 2004.

Su, Chih-Ying, Shang-Shyue Tsai, Jeng-Fen Chiu, and Chu-An Cheng. “Medialization Laryngoplasty with Strap Muscle Transposition for Vocal Fold Atrophy With or Without Sulcus Vocalis,” Laryngoscope, Vol. 114, pp. 1106-1112, June 2004.

Zraick, Richard I., Whitney Marshall, Laura Smith-Olinde, and James C. Montague. “The Effect of Task on Determination of Habitual Loudness,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 176-182, June 2004.

Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma M. and Hans F. Mahieu. “Vocal Aging and the Impact on Daily Life: A Longitudinal Study,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 193-202, June 2004.

Greene, J. Scott, Terrence E. Zipfel, and Mark Harlor. “The Effect of Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty on the Nasality of Voice,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 423-430, September 2004.

Gross, Roxann Diez, Charles W. Atwood, Jr., Judith P. Grayhack, and Susan Shaiman. “Lung Volume Effects on Pharyngeal Swallowing Physiology,” Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 95, pp. 2211-2217, December 2003.

Van Lierde, K.M., S. Claeys, M. De Bodt, and P. Van Cauwenberge. “Vocal Quality Characteristics in Children with Cleft Palate: A Multiparameter Approach,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 354-362, September 2004.

Bielamowicz, Steven, Ritu Kapoor, Jerome Schwartz, and Sheila V. Stager. “Relationship among Glottal Area, Static Supraglottic Compression, and Laryngeal Function Studies in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paresis and Paralysis,” Journal of Voice, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 138-145, March 2004.

 

Our Customers Ask…

Q. Sometimes my stroboscopy images are too bright, especially when using the rigid endoscope. What can I do to decrease brightness if camera gain is already adjusted to its lowest setting?

A. The problem you describe results from ongoing technological improvements in light output from the Kay stroboscopy unit and increased light transmission through the rigid endoscope. Also, as endoscopists become more skilled, they are are often able to position the rigid scope closer to the vocal folds which results in greater illumination of the laryngeal structures—at times the illumination can be excessive resulting in a washed out image. To cope with this problem, we have developed Light Reducing Caps which are placed onto the end of the Kay rigid endoscope cable adapter that is inserted into the stroboscopy light source. These caps, or spacers, have the effect of attenuating the light output—Kay has designed three separate caps which reduce light output in incremental amounts. They will solve the problem you describe when illumination is excessive with the Kay rigid endoscope. This problem is usually not encountered when using flexible endoscopes. To obtain a set of Light Reducing Caps from Kay at no charge, contact service@kayelemetrics.com.


Q. How do I change our facility name that appears in the Report generated by the Digital Swallowing Workstation?

A. To change the header for your reports for either the Digital Swallowing Workstation, or the Digital Strobe, open Microsoft Word, click File, then New (do not use the New icon shortcut). In the New dialog box, click the button adjacent to Template (lower right corner of the dialog). You should see a file listed as a Kay...Report.dot (Digital Swallowing Workstation or Digital Strobe may also be part of the listed filename). Double-click this file to open it, click View, then Header/Footer. The header can now be edited to the name you wish to see in your report. Once you have modified the header, save the document under the original filename in the Template directory with the .dot extension. The new header will now appear in your reports.


Q. What kind of microphone do you recommend for Sona-Speech?

A. Sona-Speech (like Kay’s Multi-Speech) uses a multimedia sound card for data acquisition and playback. An important consideration for clinical speech acquisition in sound card hardware environments is one which provides adqequate gain and excellent frequency response—the gain consideration is especially important with low-amplitude voices often seen in the clinic. Most sound cards are supplied with microphones of marginal quality and insufficent gain and, therefore, are not recommended for clinical usage. For desktop computers, a quality condenser microphone alone may suffice if it supplies sufficient gain for the sound card you have installed. Kay’s Model 3706 (hand-held condenser) is a quality condenser microphone that may provide adequate gain. However, our recommendation, to ensure that you always have sufficient input gain (regardless of patient’s amplitude), is to use a preamplifier (e.g., Kay Preamp, Model 3708) in conjunction with a quality dynamic microphone (e.g., Model 3709). For laptop computers, which usually contain sound cards with inferior specifications, Kay recommends a USB-based combination external sound card and preamp (Model 3710) which performs best with the condenser microphone (Model 3706).
 

Technically Speaking…

Using the Kay Video Viewer, Model 9221

Kay's Digital Strobe (KDS) and Digital Swallowing Workstation (DSW) record and play video using the host computer processor and a sophisticated, broadcast-quality, plug-in video capture card. This card performs the processing-intensive video capture, video compression, and video decompression during recording and playback. Thus, in normal operation, video playback is hardware-dependent on the plug-in video capture card. The Kay Video Viewer is a hardware-independent software program for use on a host computer remote from the workstation on which video was recorded. It is used to view and listen to examinations recorded by KDS or DSW without loss of resolution because no conversion is needed.

The Video Viewer is solely a viewing program and cannot record video. There is no ability to view EGG, fundamental frequency, or amplitude data recorded on KDS systems; nor does the Video Viewer enable playback of waveforms recorded on DSW. The Video Viewer is processor-dependent and requires a Pentium 4 (~1.5 GHz), or greater, to ensure full-field-rate playback without motion artifacts.

The Video Viewer allows users to review video data in remote computers without converting data and without loss of resolution. The program is free to all KDS and DSW customers and can be obtained by contacting Kay or your local representative.

Lehiste Receives Kay Phonetics Award

Kay is pleased to announce that Ilse Lehiste, Ph.D., founder of Ohio State’s Department of Linguistics and professor emeritus in the department, was honored earlier this year as the recipient of the 2003 Kay Elemetrics Award for Phonetics by the International Society of Phonetic Sciences. Lehiste was selected by members of the Society as the Outstanding Phonetician of the year. The award was presented to Lehiste for her contributions to the field of phonetic science, particularly to the study of the prosodic patterns of languages.

Previous winners have included:
1981 Gunnar Fant, Stockholm, Sweden
1983 Wiktor Jassem, Poznan, Poland
1985 Jens-Peter Köster, Trier, Germany
1985 Peter Ladefoged, Los Angeles, CA, USA
1987 Harry Hollien, Gainesville, FL, USA
1989 James Pickett, Surry, Maine, USA
1991 Mario Rossi, Aix-en-Provence, France
1993 Martin Kloster-Jensen, Bekkestua, Norway
1995 Hermann J. Künzel, Wiesbaden, Germany
1997 Eric Keller, Lausanne, Switzerland
1999 Asher Laufer, Jerusalem, Israel
2001 Osamu Fujimura, Columbus, OH, USA

Kay is very proud to sponsor this award, which is considered to be the finest in its field.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Please look for Kay products on display at the following conferences, workshops, and congresses.

Kay Introduces Video Server

Kay recently introduced the Video Server (VS) system designed for busy clinics with multiple Digital Strobe systems and exam rooms. The VS acts as a central storage location (~1 Terabyte, hot-swappable hard drive) for all stroboscopic, and other endoscopic procedures (e.g., transnasal esophagoscopy). It provides clinicians with instant access to the most current 1,000 examination recordings (assuming about 3 minutes per exam), viewable from any Digital Strobe (or viewing station) connected to the server.

The VS contains a robust, intelligent switch that allows multiple strobe exams to be stored to, and played from, the VS concurrently in any procedure room containing a Digital Strobe system. For example, the VS allows a clinician in room A to review an exam that was just recorded/saved in room B without having to leave room A. With this high-quality switch, and Kay’s design in integrating multiple systems, the VS allows any exam stored on the server to be reviewed from any procedure room (or remote viewing station). Facilities with multiple endoscopy procedure rooms will appreciate the clinical efficiency this provides.

Other key aspects of convenient operation, system maintenance, and reliability have been designed into the VS as well. For example, incremental backups of exams to a tape drive (supplied with the VS) are performed automatically on a daily basis. Additionally, centralized printing allows reports and excellent quality images to be printed remote from procedure rooms to free the stroboscopy system for the next patient.

The VS is compatible with current Digital Strobe systems, and those shipped during the past 30 months, with the most recent data acquisition hardware and Windows 2000 operating system.

For further information on the Video Server, please contact sales@kayelemetrics. com.