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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Hemi-laryngeal Setup for Studying Vocal Fold Vibration in Three Dimensions
Published on: November 25, 2017
Effects of vocal fold epithelium removal on vibration in an excised human larynx model
Justin R Tse1, Zhaoyan Zhang1, Jennifer L Long1
1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CHS Room 62-132, 650 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA jrtse@mednet.ucla.edu, zyzhang@ucla.edu, jlong@mednet.ucla.edu.
Abstract:
This study investigated the impact of selective epithelial injury on phonation in an excised human larynx apparatus. With intact epithelium, the vocal folds exhibited a symmetrical vibration pattern with complete glottal closure during vibration. The epithelium was then enzymatically removed from one, then both vocal folds, which led to left-right asymmetric vibration and a decreased closed quotient. Although the mechanisms underlying these vibratory changes are unclear, these results demonstrate that some component of an intact surface layer may play an important role in achieving normal symmetric vibration and glottal closure.
