Vocal fold collision threshold pressure: An alternative to phonation threshold pressure?

Area of Science:

• Laryngology
• Acoustic analysis
• Voice science

Background:

• Phonation threshold pressure (PTP) is crucial for vocal fold assessment but challenging to measure accurately.
• Vocal fold collision dynamics are key to understanding voice production.
• Developing reliable metrics for vocal fold function is essential for clinical and research applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate collision threshold pressure (CTP) as a viable alternative to PTP for characterizing vocal fold properties.
• To compare the reliability and feasibility of measuring CTP versus PTP.
• To explore the effects of vocal warm-up on CTP and PTP.

Main Methods:

• Recorded microphone, electroglottograph (EGG), and oral pressure signals in 15 amateur singers.
• Estimated subglottal pressure using oral pressure during /pa:/ syllable repetitions at varying frequencies and loudness.
• Utilized audio and EGG amplitudes to determine PTP and CTP, assessing them before and after vocal warm-up.

Main Results:

• The coefficient of variation was generally lower for CTP compared to PTP, suggesting greater consistency.
• Both CTP and PTP values tended to be higher before vocal warm-up than after.
• CTP demonstrated a consistent relationship with vocal fold collision initiation.

Conclusions:

• Collision threshold pressure (CTP) is a promising and potentially more accessible parameter for assessing vocal fold characteristics.
• Vocal warm-up appears to influence measures of vocal fold pressure thresholds.
• CTP offers a valuable new avenue for voice research and clinical evaluation.