High speed vocal fold imaging using smartphone-based laryngoscope: A preliminary study

We have developed a novel surgical/computational model for the investigation of unilat-eral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) which will be used to inform future in silico approaches to improve surgical outcomes in type I thyroplasty. Healthy phonation (HP) was achieved using cricothyroid suture approximation on both sides of the larynx to generate symmetrical vocal fold closure. Following high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) capture, sutures on the right side of the larynx were removed, partially releasing tension unilaterally and generating asymmetric vocal fold closure characteristic of UVFP (sUVFP condition). HSV revealed symmetric vibration in HP, while in sUVFP the sutured side demonstrated a higher frequency (10–11%). For the computational model, ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were captured at three configurations: non-approximated (NA), HP, and sUVFP. A finite-element method (FEM) model was built, in which cartilage displacements from the MRI images were used to prescribe the adduction, and the vocal fold deformation was simulated before the eigenmode calculation. The results showed that the frequency comparison between the two sides was consistent with observations from HSV. This alignment between the surgical and computational models supports the future application of these methods for the investigation of treatment for UVFP.

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High-Speed Imaging to Study an Auto-Oscillating Vocal Fold Replica for Different Initial Conditions

International Journal of Applied Mechanics ◽

10.1142/s1758825117500648 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 09 (05) ◽

pp. 1750064 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. Van Hirtum ◽

X. Pelorson

Keyword(s):

Vocal Fold ◽

High Speed ◽

Initial Conditions ◽

Vocal Folds ◽

High Speed Imaging ◽

Human Voice ◽

Manual Intervention ◽

Geometrical Features ◽

Upstream Pressure

Experiments on mechanical deformable vocal folds replicas are important in physical studies of human voice production to understand the underlying fluid–structure interaction. At current date, most experiments are performed for constant initial conditions with respect to structural as well as geometrical features. Varying those conditions requires manual intervention, which might affect reproducibility and hence the quality of experimental results. In this work, a setup is described which allows setting elastic and geometrical initial conditions in an automated way for a deformable vocal fold replica. High-speed imaging is integrated in the setup in order to decorrelate elastic and geometrical features. This way, reproducible, accurate and systematic measurements can be performed for prescribed initial conditions of glottal area, mean upstream pressure and vocal fold elasticity. Moreover, quantification of geometrical features during auto-oscillation is shown to contribute to the experimental characterization and understanding.

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