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Deconstructing Voice Therapy: Towards Enhanced Communication Outcomes
Who can join
Ages 16 to 65 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Non-smoking * Diagnosis of either primary muscle tension dysphonia of the hyperadducted type or benign vocal fold lesions. * No neuro-laryngologic or age-related vocal fold changes (e.g., atrophy) * No history of voice therapy or voice surgery in the last year * No history of other serious chronic medical conditions that may affect voice (per patient report), Normal hearing (determined by pure tone audiometry), stimulable and appropriate for behavioral voice intervention as determined by a voice-specialized speech-language pathologist and laryngologist, * Willingness to attend all therapeutic interventions and follow-up sessions * Willingness to use a smartphone to record practice Exclusion Criteria: * History of voice therapy or voice surgery in the last year * Serious chronic medical condition that may affect voice (per patient report) * Abnormal hearing ability (despite appropriate amplification) * Other laryngeal disorders not attributed to primary MTD and benign vocal fold lesions, * Not stimulable or inappropriate for behavioral voice intervention as determined by a voice-specialized speech-language pathologist and laryngologist * Unwillingness to attend therapeutic intervention and follow-up sessions * Unwillingness to use a smartphone to record practice * Pregnant women * Prisoners * Cognitive impairment or impaired decision-making capacity
About the study
This research study aims to evaluate the effect of treatment delivery method on voice outcomes over 12 months in people with a primary complaint of a voice problem, diagnosed with either non-phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction, also known as primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) or phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction, also known as benign vocal fold lesions (lesions).
The secondary objectives are:
* To evaluate acoustic correlates of clear speech and the relationship to vocal acoustic and patient-reported voice outcomes. * To determine the association between overall dysphonia outcomes and adoption of clear speech.
What is being tested
- Hierarchical method (other)
- Non Hierarchical method (other)
Sponsor: Emory University · Participants: 120 · Started: Sep 3, 2025
Contact the study team
- Amanda Gillespie, PhD · Phone: 404-778-3381
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07176988
Locations in the U.S.
| Georgia | Emory Voice Center at Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.