Phonovibrography: Mapping High-Speed Movies of Vocal Fold Vibrations Into 2-D Diagrams for Visualizing and Analyzing the Underlying Laryngeal Dynamics

TLDR

Endoscopic high‑speed laryngoscopy combined with image analysis is a promising approach to study vocal‑fold vibrations, but a unique, objective characterization has yet to be achieved. The study proposes Phonovibrograms, a visualization strategy that maps segmented vocal‑fold edges into a single 2‑D image. PVG geometries uniquely identify vibration types, reveal laryngeal asymmetry, and can be quantified via image segmentation, as demonstrated on 14 high‑speed recordings of normal and pathological voices. PVGs effectively differentiate and quantify normal and pathological vocal‑fold vibrations, offering a potential basis for a new classification system.

Abstract

Endoscopic high-speed laryngoscopy in combination with image analysis strategies is the most promising approach to investigate the interrelation between vocal fold vibrations and voice disorders. So far, due to the lack of an objective and standardized analysis procedure a unique characterization of vocal fold vibrations has not been achieved yet. We present a visualization and analysis strategy which transforms the segmented edges of vibrating vocal folds into a single 2-D image, denoted Phonovibrogram (PVG). Within a PVG the individual type of vocal fold vibration becomes uniquely characterized by specific geometric patterns. The PVG geometries give an intuitive access on the type and degree of the laryngeal asymmetry and can be quantified using an image segmentation approach. The PVG analysis was applied to 14 representative recordings derived from a high-speed database comprising normal and pathological voices. We demonstrate that PVGs are capable to differentiate and quantify different types of normal and pathological vocal fold vibrations. The objective and precise quantification of the PVG geometry may have the potential to realize a novel classification of vocal fold vibrations.