Normative data for certain vocal fold biomarkers among young normophonic adults using ultrasonography

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2023 Sep;280(9):4165-4173. doi: 10.1007/s00405-023-08025-6. Epub 2023 May 23.

Abstract

Purpose: The current study aimed to profile vocal fold morphology, vocal fold symmetry, gender and task-specific data for vocal fold length (VFL) and vocal fold displacement velocity (VFDV) in young normophonic adults in the age range of 18-30 years using ultrasonography (USG).

Methods: Participants underwent USG across quiet breathing, /a/ phonation and /i/ phonation tasks, and acoustic analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between USG and acoustic measures.

Results: The study found that males have longer vocal folds than females, and overall greater velocities were observed in /a/ phonation, followed by /i/ phonation, with the lowest velocity observed in the quiet breathing task.

Conclusions: The obtained norms can be used as a quantitative benchmark for analyzing the vocal fold behavior in young adults.

Keywords: Laryngeal ultrasonography; Vocal fold displacement velocity; Vocal fold length; Young adults.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustics
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Phonation*
  • Ultrasonography
  • Vibration
  • Vocal Cords* / diagnostic imaging
  • Young Adult