Assessment of radio(chemo)therapy-related dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients based on cough-related acoustic features
Dysphagia and aspiration risk
Firstly, the study will focus on healthy subjects to identify relevant acoustic features of cough, throat clearing, and voice quality (reference values). Secondly, the study will focus on head and neck cancer patients to verify the applicability of the selected acoustic features in head and neck cancer patients and to identify relevant acoustic features of the risk of aspiration in this population. This study is multicentric: Jules Bordet Institute and Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen. Participants will come one single time (+/- 45 minutes) and produce audible cough samples and voice samples in a silent room. 1. Cough audio sample recordings: 1.1. 5 voluntary coughs and 5 voluntary throat clearings (acoustic + aerodynamic equipment) 1.2. 2 induced reflexive coughs with 4 concentrations of citric acid (acoustic + aerodynamic equipment) 1.3. Natural reflexive cough with different food textures (acoustic equipment) 1.4. Simultaneously assessed with Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing 2. Voice sample recordings (acoustic equipment): 2.1. Sustained vowel /a/ before swallowing 2.2. Sustained vowel /a/ after swallowing Equipment: 1. Acoustic equipment for coughs recordings: skin-contact microphone + acoustic microphone, acoustic analysis with the software developed for the project 2. Aerodynamic equipment for cough recordings: facemask connected to a digital spirometer, nebulizer for tussigen inhalation, aerodynamic analysis (software developed by Medical Electronics Construction®) 3. Acoustic equipment for voice recordings: skin-contact microphone + acoustic microphone, acoustic analysis (software PRAAT®) Endpoints of this study: 1. Construction of a set of valid acoustic cough features (ACCOUGH) 1.1. Identification of a new set of acoustic cough features in a sample of a healthy population (reference data) 1.2. Comparison between acoustic voluntary and reflexive cough features as well as acoustic features of throat clearing 1.3. Selection of valid acou
1. Healthy volunteers 2. Head and neck cancer patients
Exclusion criteria for healthy volunteers: 1. Respiratory diseases 2. Dysphonia Exclusion criteria for patients: 1. Respiratory disease