Toward Development of a Vocal Fold Contact Pressure Probe: Bench-Top Validation of a Dual-Sensor Probe Using Excised...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics of voice production
• Phonotrauma research
• Medical instrumentation

Background:

• Vocal fold collision is a key factor in phonotraumatic lesions like nodules and polyps.
• Accurate measurement of vocal fold collision pressure is crucial for understanding voice production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a novel transoral, dual-sensor probe for simultaneous measurement of intraglottal and subglottal pressures.
• To characterize vocal fold collision pressures during phonation.

Main Methods:

• A transoral, dual-sensor probe was designed with miniature sensors.
• Proof-of-concept testing utilized excised human laryngeal tissue.
• Simultaneous measurements included pressures, acoustics, acceleration, and high-speed video (4000 fps).

Main Results:

• The intraglottal pressure signal showed an impulse-like peak during vocal fold contact.
• Collision pressure amplitude increased with subglottal pressure, remaining below average subglottal pressure.
• Baseline data for vocal fold collision pressure were successfully obtained.

Conclusions:

• The developed probe enables simultaneous measurement of vocal fold collision and subglottal pressures.
• This technology provides crucial data for computational voice models and future in vivo studies.
• Understanding collision pressure dynamics is vital for diagnosing and treating voice disorders.