High Speed Digital Analysis of Vocal Fold Vibration in Children

High speed digital imaging has the potential to provide detailed biomechanical assessment of the vocal fold vibration because their capture rates up to 10,000 frames per second, unlike other clinical tools, make it is possible to assess cycle-to-cycle variations of vocal fold motions that are brief, transitory, and extremely aperiodic. The specific aim of this prospective study is to determine if unique vocal fold vibratory differences between typically developing children and adults are observed on high speed digital imaging, based on the developmental changes in the layered structures of the vocal folds and the glottis. Data from a total of 80 participants: 40 adults (male = 20, female = 20; age range: 25-45) and 40 children, age 5 years (boys =10, girls = 10), age: 10 years (boys =10, girls = 10) will be used to quantify vibratory parameters of amplitude, adjusted amplitude, mucosal wave, adjusted mucosal wave, and degree of closed phase; with the use of custom developed image processing software. The data will yield vibratory profiles that are age and gender specific based on the Body-Cover theory of vocal fold motion. We hypothesized that the normalized values of vibratory amplitude, mucosal wave, and degree of closed phase will be smaller in children compared to adults. This study in the long term will establishnorms for pediatric phonatory function, which will provide basis for clinical differentiation of vocal fold pathologies like vocal nodules and cysts, which are often difficult to distinguish in children currently through stroboscopy, and require microlaryngoscopy and invasive procedure for diagnosis. This will significantly impact the role of speech language pathologist as a key professional, in the multidisciplinary assessment and management of voice disorders in children.