Intensive voice treatment (LSVT®) for patients with Parkinson's disease: a 2 year follow up

• Published in: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry neurosurgery and psychiatry, 2001-10, Vol.71 (4), p.493-498
• Main Authors: Ramig, L O, Sapir, S, Countryman, S, Pawlas, A A, O'Brien, C, Hoehn, M, Thompson, L L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustics; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Diseases of the nervous system; efficacy; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Methods; Middle Aged; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care); Parkinson Disease - diagnosis; Parkinson Disease - rehabilitation; Parkinson's disease; Physiology; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Respiratory Therapy; Sound Spectrography; Speech Acoustics; Speech disorders; Speech Intelligibility; Speech therapy; Voice Disorders - diagnosis; Voice Disorders - rehabilitation; Voice Quality; Voice Training; voice treatment
• ISSN: 0022-3050; 1468-330X
• DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.71.4.493

OBJECTIVES To assess long term (24 months) effects of the Lee Silverman voice treatment (LSVT®), a method designed to improve vocal function in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS Thirty three patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease were stratified and randomly assigned to two treatment groups. One group received the LSVT®, which emphasises high phonatory-respiratory effort. The other group received respiratory therapy (RET), which emphasises high respiratory effort alone. Patients in both treatment groups sustained vowel phonation, read a passage, and produced a monologue under identical conditions before, immediately after, and 24 months after speech treatment. Change in vocal function was measured by means of acoustic analyses of voice loudness (measured as sound pressure level, or SPL) and inflection in voice fundamental frequency (measured in terms of semitone standard deviation, or STSD). RESULTS The LSVT® was significantly more effective than the RET in improving (increasing) SPL and STSD immediately post-treatment and maintaining those improvements at 2 year follow up. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide evidence for the efficacy of the LSVT® as well as the long term maintenance of these effects in the treatment of voice and speech disorders in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.