Application of ultrasonography in assessing vocal fold structures in children : normative data

Abstract

Objective: This study developed preliminary normative data of children’s laryngeal and vocal fold structures, and vocal fold mobility using ultrasonography. The study also evaluated the reliability of the use of ultrasonography in making measurements. Methods: Children without any voice disorders between the age of 2;07 to 11;04 were recruited at the West China Hospital in Chengdu, China. All children included in this study underwent laryngeal ultrasound scanning. All children performed three tasks, quiet breathing, deep inspiration and sustained vowel prolongation during the scanning. From each task, left and right vocal fold length, subglottic airway diameter, glottic angle and vocal fold-arytenoid angle were measured. Results: The results show that ultrasonography was able to show increasing trend of vocal fold length and subglottic airway diameter across age groups. Ultrasonography was also able to show that the glottic angle and vocal fold-arytenoid angle was significantly larger during deep inspiration than those obtained during quiet breathing and sustained vowel prolongation. The use of ultrasonography was found to have good intra-rater agreement. Conclusion: In summary, the results of the present study support the use of ultrasonography to assess vocal fold structures and functions in young children.