Phonetogram voice range profile: assessment of voice capacities and its clinical value

Voice range profile measurement is being used more and more as a practical clinical tool in the process of voice evaluation. In principle it means a graphical representation of a patient's or person's vocal capabilities concerning the fundamental frequency range and dynamic range on several arbitrarily chosen pitches. The examination of these two most important aspects of the voice has, in fact, been routinely done since interest in the voice started in the early days of phoniatrics and voice care. These two features are represented in the phonetogram after being measured in an objective and instrumental way. This information represents the capacity of one's voice, and needs to be evaluated against the vocal needs and demands put on the voice. A teacher with low vocal capacities might encounter the fact that daily occupational life presents him/her with great voice-straining demands, which could develop into a voice disorder. The voice range profile might then be used as a tool for explanation. This is usually called functional disorder where the balance between capacities and demands is lost. For a proper voice evaluation the next two steps are necessary: laryngeal examination with stroboscopy to reveal possible organic causes, and a careful exploration of the vocal demands by history taking.