Biomedical subjects

D H Zwitman

Publications and source records attributed to D H Zwitman.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1979

A syntax program designed to present base linguistic structures to language-disordered children.

An intervention strategy for teaching syntax to language-disordered children is described, and the results of its use in a controlled study with 11 children are reported. The therapy program attempts to move the child from single words through a series of successive approximations to use of the construct noun + "is" + verbing + noun, incorporating auditory directions and visual stimuli in the form of cards and boards upon which the cards are sequentially ordered. The results of the experimental group who participated in this therapeutic sequence were compared to those of 11 control subjects and suggested significant gains as measured by the pre- to postprogram performance (t = 2.31, p 0.05). Advantages and limitations of this type of intervention strategy are also discussed.

Audiovisual Aids↗

PubMed1979

Bilateral cord dysfunctions: abductor type spastic dysphonia.

Unlike cord approximation disorders such as adductor type spastic dysphonia and vocal cord paralysis, which have been well defined, abductor type spastic dysphonia has received limited attention. This report presents voice symptoms, spectrographic data, indirect laryngoscopic observations, and case histories of two cases. Questions are raised as to whether there is a spastic component to this disorder, and if there is a specific age group affected.

Adult↗

PubMed1978

Development and testing of an intraoral electrolarynx for laryngectomy patients.

A wireless intraoral electrolarynx for laryngectomy patients has been developed. The instrument consists of an earphone receiver and a pickup coil housed in the patient's denture. A separate transmitter with hand switch, worn under the patient's clothing, activates the receiver. Intelligibility testing revealed that this device was comparable to the Verbalizer Electrolarynx, a transoral instrument similar to the Cooper-Rand Electrolarynx. If the long-term endurance study now in progress proves that the device can meet the communicative needs of the laryngectomee, and if the favorable results obtained in this study can be duplicated with subsequent instruments, this electrolarynx may be a viable alternative to others now available.

Humans↗

PubMed1977

The design of a wireless-controlled intra-oral electrolarynx.

Many patients who have failed to acquire esophageal speech after total laryngectomy are presently using artificial electrolarynges. Two of the principle objections to currently available devices are their bulkiness and visibility. The authors have developed and tested a wireless-controlled intra-oral electrolarynx which overcomes these main objections. In addition, it produces intelligible speech which compares favorably with other existing devices. In this paper, the design details will be presented which significantly influence the performance and the patients' acceptability of the new device.

Artificial Organs↗

PubMed1976

Assessment of velar and lateral wall movement by oral telescope and radiographic examination in patients with velopharyngeal inadequacy and in normal subjects.

Thirty-one patients referred to the Craniofacial Anomalies Clinic for speech evaluation were evaluated by endoscopy and cineradiographic examination (lateral and submentovertical projection). Movement of the velar and lateral walls was examined by both procedures in order to determine the accuracy of the endoscopy in assessing velopharyngeal movement. Cineradiography confirmed endoscopic observation in a large percentage of patients. In a second study, lateral wall motion was assessed in 20 cleft palate patients with repaired hard and soft palate but with velopharyngeal inadequacy. Four categories of closure defined in a previous study on normal subjects were used to classify lateral wall movement in the cleft palate patients. Mesial lateral motion past the sides of the velum during phonation occurred less frequently in patients with velopharyngeal inadequacy than in persons with normal strucutres. The absence of lateral wall motion was observed more often in the cleft palate patients, although in over half of these patients the lateral walls moved mesially and filled Rosenmuller's fossa (lateral recesses). Degree of lateral wall movement, which varies among cleft palate patients, should be estimated before construction of a prosthesis or pharyngeal flap in order to determine whether occlusion of the lateral gutters will occur during phonation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

Experimental modification of the Western Electric No. 5 electrolarynx to a mouth-type instrument.

A modification of the Western Electric No; 5A electrolarynx is described and evaluated. The modification involved insertion of a bypass plug into the circuitry of this necktype instrument thus converting it to a mouth-type electrolarynx. Intensity readings at the one-third octaves and intelligibility data were obtained with the modified instrument and with a Cooper-Rand electrolarynx. The instruments were judged to be equal in overall performance.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

A case against teflon injection to lower vocal pitch.

A patient with severe hoarseness was seen three months after Teflon injection of both vocal folds had been performed elsewhere to lower an abnormally high pitch. Pitch analysis utilizing voice spectrography revealed no significant drop in fundamental frequency. The hoarseness is presumed to have resulted from disparate glycerin absorption, inflammatory changes of the folds, and asynchronous vibration of the folds. Vocal fold injection to increase fold thickness and lower pitch is not a simple technique and is not advised until all parameters have been thoroughly studied.

Adult↗