Korean Adult Normative Data for the KayPENTAX Phonatory Aerodynamic System Model 6600

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to (1) establish a Korean adult normative database for phonatory aerodynamic measures obtained with the KayPENTAX Phonatory Aerodynamic System (PAS) Model 6600, (2) investigate the intra-subject reliability of these measures across three testing sessions, and (3) examine the effect of gender on those measures. 170 healthy normal speakers (70 men and 100 women) between the ages 18 and 49 years participated in the study. The PAS protocol of maximum phonation and voicing efficiency were conducted and 25 measures were obtained. All aerodynamic measures taken in this study demonstrated high intra-subject reliability in clinical aspect. There were no significant effect of gender in the measures related to sound pressure and subglottal pressure. However, significant differences for gender were found for phonation time, airflow rate, expiratory volume, aerodynamic power, SPL range, pitch range, mean pitch, aerodynamic resistance, and aerodynamic efficiency. Clinicians should be aware of significant gender effects in some aerodynamic parameters when interpreting the data obtained from PAS.