Estimation of inferior-superior vocal fold kinematics from high-speed stereo endoscopic data in vivo

J Acoust Soc Am. 2014 Dec;136(6):3290. doi: 10.1121/1.4900572.

Abstract

Despite being an indispensable tool for both researchers and clinicians, traditional endoscopic imaging of the human vocal folds is limited in that it cannot capture their inferior-superior motion. A three-dimensional reconstruction technique using high-speed video imaging of the vocal folds in stereo is explored in an effort to estimate the inferior-superior motion of the medial-most edge of the vocal folds under normal muscle activation in vivo. Traditional stereo-matching algorithms from the field of computer vision are considered and modified to suit the specific challenges of the in vivo application. Inferior-superior motion of the medial vocal fold surface of three healthy speakers is reconstructed over one glottal cycle. The inferior-superior amplitude of the mucosal wave is found to be approximately 13 mm for normal modal voice, reducing to approximately 3 mm for strained falsetto voice, with uncertainty estimated at σ ≈ 2 mm and σ ≈ 1 mm, respectively. Sources of error, and their relative effects on the estimation of the inferior-superior motion, are considered and recommendations are made to improve the technique.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomechanical Phenomena / physiology*
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / instrumentation
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Laryngoscopy / instrumentation
  • Laryngoscopy / methods*
  • Male
  • Phonation / physiology*
  • Phonetics
  • Reference Values
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Vocal Cords / physiology*
  • Voice Quality / physiology