| Summary: | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Harvard--Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2002. === Vita. Page 202 blank. === Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-201). === In the clinical management of voice patients, quantifying vocal function is becoming increasingly important both for corroborating clinicians' subjective impressions during a voice evaluation and for assessing the effectiveness of surgery or voice therapy. Current devices for quantifying vocal function measure acoustic, aerodynamic or electric signals (i.e., sound pressure, airflow, or electroglottography) during short tasks such as reading. One technique that has shown potential for measuring vocal function but has been mostly used to quantify speech-related behaviors besides phonation is measuring the acceleration of the skin near the larynx. The acceleration of the skin on the neck between the cricoid cartilage and the sternal notch arises from the airflow pulses that result from vocal-fold vibration. At least two sets of structures play a role in transforming these airflow pulses into the measured acceleration: the subglottal system, and the tissues between the subglottal airspace and the accelerometer (e.g., tracheal cartilage, skin, etc.). Advantages of measuring acceleration over current techniques include 1) the structures that filter the glottal pulses vary less over time than the vocal tract and thus they may be adequately modeled as time-invariant, making signal processing potentially easier; 2) environmental acoustic noise has a minimal influence on the measured acceleration; and 3) the accelerometer's size and placement make it more comfortable and unobtrusive for extended recordings than current techniques. This thesis work investigated the potential of using the measured acceleration for quantifying vocal function. === by Harold Arthur Cheyne, II. === Ph.D.
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