Efficacy of Conversation Training Therapy (CTT)

NCT02441348 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: PRO15030497
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 67
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Voice therapy is the standard-of-care for many of the nearly 140 million people in the United States who suffer from voice disorders,1 yet patients claim that current therapies are ineffective at meeting their voice needs.2 Published data by our research team indicate that patients think that transfer of target voice techniques to every day voice use (i.e. conversation) is the most difficult aspect of therapy,2 and that training techniques in conversation is the most useful aspect of voice therapy.2 Unfortunately, traditional voice therapy programs spend little, if any, time training voice techniques in conversation.3 This lack of functional specificity in voice therapy may contribute to the estimated 65% attrition rate.4 Even after some form of treatment, patients are still struggling with daily conversational voice use, and voice disorders continue to cause serious disability, stress and depression, which negatively affects social functioning and job performance.5 A new voice therapy program, Conversation Training Therapy (CTT), based on published patient reports on dissatisfaction with traditional therapy, was developed by the Investigators. It was honed with recommendations from expert clinical voice-specialized speech-language pathologists, and successfully piloted in a small case series of patients with voice problems. The investigators objective in this application is to test CTT in the rehabilitation of patients with voice disorders. The investigators hypothesize that, as demonstrated in the investigators preliminary case studies, these methods will result in early treatment success, and reduce the time required to reach therapeutic goals, thereby reducing costs associated with voice treatment.

Conditions

Voice Disorders

Keywords

Voice Therapy; Muscle Tension Dysphonia; Lesions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10)

  Baseline through completion of therapy; approximately 6-8 months

Study Arms (1)

CTT group

CTT will be initiated in a prospective fashion to study population

Behavioral: Conversation Training Therapy

Interventions

Conversation Training Therapy BEHAVIORAL

Conversational speech as the primary focus of voice therapy in individuals with muscle tension dysphonia or vocal fold lesions.

CTT group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals diagnosed with either muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) or vocal fold lesion who are candidates for voice therapy.

You may qualify if:

• males and females
• age 18-60 years old
• diagnosed by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of laryngologist and speech-language pathologist with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) or vocal fold lesions deemed amenable to voice therapy (i.e. not surgical candidates) using a standardized stimulability test developed by the research team (in revision for publication)

You may not qualify if:

• age 61 or greater
• under 18 years of age

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pittsburgh: lead

Study Sites (1)

UPMC

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Voice Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Laryngeal Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Amanda I Gillespie, PhD

  University of Pittsburgh

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2015
• First Posted: May 12, 2015
• Study Start: May 11, 2016
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2018
• Study Completion: September 27, 2018
• Last Updated: January 8, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-01

Locations

US (1)