MECHANISMS OF HOARSENESS - VISUALIZATION AND INTERPRETATION BY MEANS OF NONLINEAR DYNAMICS

摘要

Acoustical communication in man is based on the production and the perception of speech signals. Voice constitutes the carrier signal of the information which is transferred by speech. Information is imposed by articulation i.e. formation of the voice. Voice origins within the larynx by appropriate oscillations of the vocal folds. Hence, a healthy voice is the basis of efficient communication. The main goal of the present work is to introduce a new tool for voice investigation and classification of voice disorders based upon biomechanics. The proposed examination includes digital high speed recordings of the larynx combined with visualization methods and subsequent analysis based on a biomechanical model (Two-mass-model). This model constitutes the basis of the nonlinear analysis of the trajectories. An inversion algorithm is presented which allows the identification of physiological parameters of vocal folds. The application of the proposed method is demonstrated in a normal voice and in patients with hoarseness caused by laryngeal asymmetry.