The voices of 20 males with a mean age of 78 years and 24 females with a mean age of 75 years were examined with a microcomputer and a phonation analyzer. In this study we examined the voice quality and phonatory function of aged persons. The voice of aged male is characterized by a decrease of harmonics and that of aged female is characterized by a decrease of fundamental frequency. These changes may be caused by an atrophy of vocal fold in aged males and by an edematous change of vocal fold

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... aged females. In both aged males and females, amplitude perturbatibn 'becomes large and especially in aged males frequency perturbation also becomes large. These changes are thought to be caused by several factors related to aging, such as atrophy or edematous change of vocal fold mucosa, clumsiness of fine regulation of laryngeal muscles or a decrease of laryngeal muscles or a decrease of lubrication. As a phonatory function test, both aged males and females showed a decrease of maximal phonation time. And aged males showed an increase of air flow rate. These changes may be caused by a decrease of lung function, and especially In aged males, these changes are thought to be related to the glottal gap. STIMMECHARAKTERISTIKA DER ALTLICHER PERSONEN Die Stimmen von 20 Mannern im durchschnittlichen Alter von 78 jahren und 24 Frauen im durchschnittlichen Alter von 75 jahren wurden mit Hilfe eines Mikrocomputers und Phonation-Analysators gepriift. In der vorliegenden Studie haben die Autoren die Stimmqualitat und die Stimmbildungsfunktion altlicher Personen untersucht. Die Stimme des altlichen Mannes ist durch eine Verminderung der Harmonischen und die der altlichen Frau druch eine Verminderung der Grundfrequenzen gekennzeichnet. Diese Veranderungen konnten wohl durch eine Atrophie des Stimmbandes in altlichen Mannern und durch odematose Veranderungen des Kazunori MORI (~-JiJ), Tomoyuki HAJI (±Bifi9:ll1.:y), Hisayoshi KOJIMA (>'C~~~IMJIJ), Iwao HONJO (:*J± ft):