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

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.