부비동수술 후 비음형대와 비개존도의 변화에 대한 분석

Background and Objectives: Nasal sounds are normally produced with an opened velopharyngeal part during pronouncing nasal consonants. Various disorders in nasal cavity and paranasal sinus can affect the resonance of nasal sounds, and result in change of nasality perceptually. Many instruments including rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry can assess the nasal passage dynamically and statically, but cannot assess the extent of nasality objectively. Recently analytic methods with computerized equipments such as PCquirer and sound spectrum are gaining wide attention to evaluate the nasality objectively. The aims of this study were to measure and follow the postoperative changes of the formant of nasal consonants, to evaluate the relationship between these acoustic and volumetric changes of rhino sinus, and to estimate the effect of rhino sinus as a nasal tract on nasal resonance after operation. Materials and Method: The changes of formant, spectral pattern and nasal symptom were evaluated in 25 patients before ESS (endoscopic sinus surgery) and 2 months after ESS. An acoustic rhinometry were used for measuring the resonant volume of rhinosinus. Results: The first formant was decreased when ESS was carried out two months after the surgery. Subjective symptom and acoustic rhinometric results were significantly improved. However, The increment of resonant volume in rhinosinus was not correlated with the degree of decrement of the first formant two months after the surgery. The change of voume and formant were not correlated with subjective symptomatic improvement. Conclusion: Acoustic and sound spectrographic analysis are considered to be useful tools for objectively assessing the nasality after surgery in patients with paranasal sinusitis. But there are some limitation for measure of relationship between formant and nasal patency via symptomatic change. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2002;13:93-99)