A Personalized Voice Restoration Device for Patients With Laryngectomy

Launched by WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY · Jul 28, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring a new way to help people who have lost their ability to speak due to laryngectomy, a surgery that removes the voice box, or those with severe voice disorders known as dysphonia or aphonia. The researchers are testing a personalized voice restoration device that uses advanced technology to recognize silent speech by picking up signals from the muscles in the face and neck. They believe this innovative approach could successfully help restore communication for patients who struggle with speaking.

To participate in the trial, you need to be an adult aged 18 or older. If you're healthy and have no voice issues, you could join as a healthy volunteer. Alternatively, if you have significant trouble speaking, you may qualify to be part of the group with voice disorders. However, people with completely paralyzed facial muscles cannot participate. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to provide new hope for those affected by voice loss.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Group A: Healthy Volunteers
• • 1. Adult subjects, 18 or older
• • 2. Without any voice impairments
• • Group B: Subjects with Aphonia or Dysphonia
• • 1. Adult subjects, 18 or older
• • 2. Documentation of severe dysphonia and/or aphonia, or a GRBAS score \> 0 (GRBAS is a scale that can be used to assess voice quality of subjects who do not have a recorded history of dysphonia or aphonia. The GRBAS scale evaluates for grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • - Group A: Healthy Volunteers
• • 1. Voice impairment
• • Group B: Subjects with Aphonia or Dysphonia
• • 1. Subjects whose face muscles are entirely paralyzed