Scale for the assessment of mucosal wave dynamics of the free edges during stroboscopic examination: clinical validation study and analysis of results

Identifying the mucosal wave (MW) is essential when studying the voice; however, its characterization and perceived measurement during laryngeal stroboscopy (LS) are not well defined or standardized because of the subjectivity of its interpretation. This article proposed and validated a scale that characterized and approximated MW measurement during LS, applied it to participants divided into a healthy group and groups with free edge conditions, and identified differences between them.

This is a descriptive and clinical validation study of the “VASQ (Vertical axis, Anteroposterior axis, Symmetry and Quantity) mucosal wave score” scale based on stroboscopy images of 137 adult men and women divided into a control group and functional and organic pathology groups. The images were analyzed by three evaluators according to an established protocol. Measurements dictating the reproducibility and validity criteria as well as the MW score in each group were obtained.

The reliability of the scale was α = 0.90, internal consistency success rate was 91%, intra-observer reliability was 0.83, inter-observer reliability was 0.83, content validity coefficient was 0.92, and factor loading was 0.37–0.53. The MW total score values between 5 and 6 were established as a reference for normality (P < 0.05). Organic pathology showed lower MW score values (P < 0.05), and functional pathology to a lesser extent (P > 0.05).

The proposed scale is a consistent, valid, and reliable tool. Its widespread application would favor commonly used terminology and facilitate quantitative comparisons in future studies.