A Preliminary Investigation Concerning the Use of Nasometry in Identifying Patients With Hyponasality and/or Nasal Airway Impairment

A series of 76 patients referred for evaluation at the Oral-Facial and Communicative Disorders Program was studied in an attempt to determine the extent to which acoustic assessments of speech, made utilizing a Kay Elemetrics Nasometer, corresponded with clinical judgments of hyponasality and aerodynamic measurements of nasal cross-sectional area. Among the 38 adults, the sensitivity of Nasometer ratings in correctly identifying adult subjects with moderate to severe nasal airway impairment was 0.38, whereas the specificity was 0.92. Comparable analyses for the group of 38 children were not possible because of the extent to which nasal airway size varies up to the age of 15 years. Among the entire group of patients, the sensitivity and specificity of nasometry in correctly identifying the presence or absence of hyponasality was 0.48 and 0.79, respectively. However, when patients with audible nasal emission were eliminated from analysis, the sensitivity rose to 1.0 and the specificity rose to 0.85. Possible reasons for the findings obtained and their clinical significance are discussed.

KEY WORDS: hyponasality, nasal airway impairment, acoustic analysis, cleft palate

Submitted on August 2, 1989
Accepted on March 26, 1990

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