Reference values for electroglottographic data of elderly women

PURPOSE: To present reference values for fundamental frequency data and closed-phase quotient extracted from electroglottography in older women and verify if they differ from laryngeal examination results. METHODS: Observational analytical cross-sectional study in 73 older women, aged 60 to 84 years, using electroglottographic and laryngeal examinations. Each participant’s voice sample had a sustained prolonged vowel /a/ emitted at the usual frequency and intensity, in the modal register. Fundamental frequency (F0) and vocal fold contact quotient (CQ) were extracted from the electroglottography. Data were descriptively analyzed with measures of central tendency and dispersion of continuous variables. To establish whether continuous electroglottography variables differed from the laryngeal diagnosis, Student’s t-test (parametric test) and Mann-Whitney (non-parametric test) were performed. The significance level in all tests was set at 5%. RESULTS: Most participants did not have laryngeal changes, while 27.4% had presbylarynx. The mean electroglottographic measures were 187.24 Hz for F0 and 48.49% for CQ. There was no statistical significance between laryngeal examinations and EGG measures. CONCLUSION: Older women have mean electroglottographic F0 values of 187.24 Hz and CQ of 48.49%. Electroglottographic F0 and CQ measures did not change with the presence of the presbylarynx in older women.