Porcine vocal fold elasticity evaluation using Brillouin spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Acoustic Analysis
• Laryngeal Physiology

Background:

• Vocal fold mucosa has a unique multilayered architecture crucial for phonation.
• Voice disorders can arise from altered viscoelastic properties of vocal fold tissues.
• Current clinical assessment of vocal fold pliability lacks objective in vivo tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Brillouin microspectroscopy for differentiating mechanical properties of vocal folds from surrounding laryngeal tissues.
• To explore the potential of Brillouin spectroscopy as a noninvasive method for assessing vocal fold pliability.

Main Methods:

• Brillouin microspectroscopy was employed as an optical imaging modality to measure viscoelastic properties.
• Measurements were performed on porcine larynx vocal folds.
• Elasticity-driven Brillouin spectral shifts were analyzed and correlated with classical elasticity measurements.

Main Results:

• Brillouin spectroscopy successfully differentiated the mechanical properties of vocal folds.
• Elastic properties measured by Brillouin spectroscopy showed strong correlation with classical elasticity measurements.
• The technique provided noninvasive, remote assessment of tissue viscoelasticity.

Conclusions:

• Brillouin spectroscopy is feasible for vocal fold imaging.
• This technique holds potential for objective, noninvasive assessment of vocal fold mucosal pliability.
• Further research may enable objective diagnoses and more targeted treatments for voice disorders.