Recent studies have shown that the supraglottic structures could alter the aeroacoustics output of the larynx [1-2]. The fist supraglottic tissue above the true vocal folds (TVF) is the false vocal folds (FVF) or ventricular folds. This non-oscillatory part of the human larynx shows a wide range of adductions during the normal phonation. Most previous studies, however, have focused on the effect of normal configuration of the FVFs based on mean values reported for this laryngeal structure. Therefore, the effect of different levels of FVF adduction on oscillation of the TVFs remained uninvestigated. A recent study on rigid models of the vocal folds has shown that the small size of the FVF gap can considerably affect the pressure distribution on the surface of the larynx [3]. This mechanism was linked to creation of a set of counter-rotating vortex structures (the starting vortices) and their interaction with the FVFs. This interaction also leads to formation of the rebound vortices in the laryngeal ventricle. The complex vortex pattern for narrow FVF gap resulted in pressure oscillation on the surface of TVFs and FVFs. The major part of aerodynamics force on the TVFs is provided by the air pressure. Since the FVFs configuration could change the transglottal pressure, it might affect the self-sustained oscillation of TVFs. This hypothesis is tested in the current work using a fluid-structure interaction simulation of the TVFs.
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