COMPUTER-ASSISTED 3-DIMENSIONAL PHONOGRAM S

Profiles of fundamental frequency sound pressure levels and voice dura tion are measured separately in clinical practice. It was the aim of t he present study to combine the two examinations, in order to estimate the relationship between pitch, sound pressure level and voice durati on and to develop a new computer-assisted graph. A three-dimensional ( 3D) wireframe phonogram was constructed based on SPL profiles to obtai n a general view of the parameters recorded. We have termed this ''pho netography''. Variable further projections were selected for the analy sis of different aspects of parametric relationships. The results in 2 1 healthy volunteers and 4 patients with hyperfunctional dysphonias de monstrated that there were three typical figures of the 3D phonograms produced, depending on the relationship between voice duration when so ft (''piano'') compared to loud (''forte''). In one-third of the healt hy volunteers, the values of the piano voice duration were greater tha n those of forte for almost all pitches examined. In two-thirds of the healthy subjects the values of forte voice duration were partly great er, as were those of piano voice duration. All of the patients showed voice duration values greater for forte than for piano. The results of the study demonstrate that the 3D phonogram is a useful tool for obta ining new insights into various relationships of voice parameters.