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.