• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2010

Backgraound and Objectives : The voice change can occur in acute epiglottitis or peritonsillar abscess, and the labelings of both changes as a "muffled voice" or "hot potato voice", The aim of this study was to investigate the difference of changes in acoustic feature of voice before and after treatment in patients with acute epiglottitis or peritonsillar abscess. Subjects and Method: 13 patients with acute epiglottitis and 12 patients with peritonsillar abscess were enrolled in the study. Acoustic analysis on sustained Korean vowels /${\alpha}$/, /u/ and /i/ were performed before and after treatment. Results: In patients with acute epiglottitis, the first formant frequency (F1) of /${\alpha}$/ was increased, and the second frequency (F2) of /i/ was decreased. In patients with peritonsillar abscess, F1 and F2 of /${\alpha}$/ were decreased. F1 of /i/ and /u/ were increased, while F2 were decreased. Conclusion : The anatomical and functional changes of oropharynx and larynx by acute epiglottitis and peritonsillar abscess can cause different change in resonance and speech quality. We suggest that these changes could be the cause of 'muffled vocie' in patients of acute epiglottitis or peritonsillar abscess, but different characteristics of phonation in each disease should be distinguished.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.133-135
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• 2008

Background and Objectives: The voice changes can occur in peritonsillar abscess and the labeling of this changes as a "muffled voice". The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in acoustic feature of voice before and after treatment in patients with peritonsillar abscess. Materials and Method: 12 patients with peritonsillar abscess were enrolled in the study. Acoustic analysis on sustained Korean vowels /a/, /i/ and /u/ were performed before and after treatment. Results: In patients with peritonsillar abscess, the first formant frequency (F1) and second formant frequency (F2) of /a/ were decreased. There was tendency of articulation of back-low vowel /a/ as back-high vowel /u/. F1 of /i/ and /u/ were increased, while F2 were decreased. There was tendency of articulation of front-high vowel /i/ as back-low vowel /a/. The third, forth, fifth formant frequency (F3, F4, F5) of /a/, /i/ and /u/ were decreased although statistically not significant. Conclusion: The anatomical and functional changes of oropharynx by peritonsillar abscess can cause changes in resonance and speech quality. We suggest that these changes could be the cause of 'muffled voice' in patients of peritonsillar abscess.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.42-44
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• 2005

Metastatic tumors of the oral cavity are uncommon. Most of them are located in the mandible while only small percentage are found within the soft tissues. The common sites of metastases to the soft tissue of oral cavity were the tongue and gingiva and among the tongue, the base of tongue was most common. An explanation of the predilection may be due to a richer vascular supply within base of tongue. The authors have recently experienced a case of small cell lung carcinoma with base of tongue metastasis in a 81-year-old male who had foreign body sensation at swallowing and muffled voice for 2 months. So, we present this case with the review of literatures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.115-118
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• 2022

Fibrolipomas are a rare microscopic variant of lipomas, characterized by mature adipose tissue interspersed with dense fibrous connective tissue. These lesions are rarely observed in the head and neck region and represent <0.6% of all benign tumors of the larynx and hypopharynx. Their clinical presentation depends on the location and size of lesions. Patients present with variable symptoms; however, fibrolipomas of the larynx and hypopharynx are clinically important because these tumors can cause unpredictable airway obstruction, particularly during general anesthesia induction. We present a case of a hypopharyngeal fibrolipoma in a 61-year-old patient with frequent dyspnea, dysphagia, and muffled voice. Laryngoscopy revealed a well-demarcated pedunculated ovoid mass involving the larynx. We performed laryngomicrosurgery using a carbon dioxide laser for surgical excision and subsequent evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of fibrolipoma. We report a case of hypopharyngeal fibrolipoma, together with a literature review.