Vocal Fold Vibration and Voice Quality

Abstract

Generally speaking, when the vocal fold has some pathology which interferes with its normal vibration, voice quality should deteriorate. In order to understand the pathophysiology of pathological voice production, It is essential to monitor vocal fold vibration. There have been various methods proposed for diagnosing laryngeal pathology by analyzing the pathological voice. Among them, stroboscopy is the most popular tool because of its safety and convenience. However, since stroboscopic findings depend upon regularity of vocal fold vibration, it is not suitable for monitoring irregular vibration. Recent technological advances enable us to use a digital imaging technique to achieve observation with fine time resoliution. From our study, we can conclude that the various vibratory patterns seen in pathologic cases may explain the pathogenesis of different pathological voices as well as their psychoacoustic impressions. © 1999, The Japan Society of Logopedics and Phoniatrics. All rights reserved.