ABSTRACT
A successful voice assessment determines the cause, the severity and the prognosis of the problem and enables the planning of the most appropriate treatment programme. Voice assessment is multidimensional; it requires history taking, observation, clinical examination of the structures, auditory evaluation and measurements of vocal function and vocal physiology. A thorough case history is essential for the clinical team and patient to understand the nature of the voice problem, the possible causes and the reasons for its persistence. How the patient describes the specific nature of their voice problem can provide essential diagnostic and therapeutic information. Terms such as ‘hoarse’ or ‘rough’ may be indicative of mucosal changes or muscle tension dysphonia; ‘breathy’ or ‘weak’ may be related to the glottic closure problems seen in vocal cord palsy or neurological conditions, as well as in the hyperfunctional or psychogenic dysphonias, and vocal fatigue may indicate vocal hyperfunction.
