A Computational Method for Analyzing the Biomechanics of Arterial Bruits.

A computational framework consisting of a one-way coupled hemodynamic-acoustic method and a wave-decomposition based postprocessing approach is developed to investigate the biomechanics of arterial bruits. This framework is then applied for studying the effect of the shear wave on the generation and propagation of bruits from a modeled stenosed artery. The blood flow in the artery is solved by an immersed boundary method (IBM) based incompressible flow solver. The sound generation and propagation in the blood volume are modeled by the linearized perturbed compressible equations, while the sound propagation through the surrounding tissue is modeled by the linear elastic wave equation. A decomposition method is employed to separate the acoustic signal into a compression/longitudinal component (curl free) and a shear/transverse component (divergence free), and the sound signals from cases with and without the shear modulus are monitored on the epidermal surface and are analyzed to reveal the influence of the shear wave. The results show that the compression wave dominates the detected sound signal in the immediate vicinity of the stenosis, whereas the shear wave has more influence on surface signals further downstream of the stenosis. The implications of these results on cardiac auscultation are discussed.

Non-invasive in vivo measurement of the shear modulus of human vocal fold tissue.

Voice is the essential part of singing and speech communication. Voice disorders significantly affect the quality of life. The viscoelastic mechanical properties of the vocal fold mucosa determine the characteristics of the vocal folds oscillations, and thereby voice quality. In the present study, a non-invasive method was developed to determine the shear modulus of human vocal fold tissue in vivo via measurements of the mucosal wave propagation speed during phonation. Images of four human subjects' vocal folds were captured using high speed digital imaging (HSDI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for different phonation pitches, specifically fundamental frequencies between 110 and 440 Hz. The MRI images were used to obtain the morphometric dimensions of each subject's vocal folds in order to determine the pixel size in the high-speed images. The mucosal wave propagation speed was determined for each subject and at each pitch value using an automated image processing algorithm. The transverse shear modulus of the vocal fold mucosa was then calculated from a surface (Rayleigh) wave propagation dispersion equation using the measured wave speeds. It was found that the mucosal wave propagation speed and therefore the shear modulus of the vocal fold tissue were generally greater at higher pitches. The results were in good agreement with those from other studies obtained via in vitro measurements, thereby supporting the validity of the proposed measurement method. This method offers the potential for in vivo clinical assessments of vocal folds viscoelasticity from HSDI.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of human vocal folds and standard laryngeal cartilages using computed tomography scan data.

Three-dimensional (3D) computer models of the human larynx are useful tools for research and for eventual clinical applications. Recently, computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used to recreate realistic models of human larynx. In the present study, CT images were used to create computer models of vocal folds, vocal tract, and laryngeal cartilages, and the procedure to create solid models are explained in details. Vocal fold and vocal tract 3D models of healthy and postsurgery larynges during phonation and respiration were created and morphometric parameters were quantified. The laryngeal framework of eight patients was also reconstructed from CT scan images. For each cartilage, morphometric landmarks were measured on the basis of their importance for biomechanical modeling. A quantitative comparison was made between measured values from the reconstructions and those from human excised larynges in literature. The good agreement between these measurements supports the accuracy of CT scan-based 3D models. Generic standard models of the laryngeal framework were created using known features in modeling softwares. They were created based on the morphometric landmark dimensions previously defined, preserving all biomechanically important dimensions. These models are accessible, subject independent, easy to use for computational simulations, and make the comparisons between different studies possible.

Determination of strain field on the superior surface of excised larynx vocal folds using DIC.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The objective of the present study was to quantify the mechanical strain and stress in excised porcine larynges during self-oscillation using digital image correlation (DIC) method. The use of DIC in the excised larynx setup may yield accurate measurements of the vocal fold displacement field. STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo animal larynx. METHODS: Measurements were performed using excised porcine larynges on a humidified flow bench, equipped with two high-speed cameras and a commercially available DIC software. Surface deformations were calculated from digital images recorded at 3000 frames per second during continuous self-oscillation for four excised porcine larynges. Larynx preparation consisted of removing the supraglottal wall and the false folds. DIC yielded the deformation field on the superior visible surface of the vocal folds. Measurement data for adducted and freely suspended vocal folds were also used to estimate the distribution of the initial prephonatory strain field. An isotropic constitutive law, the polymer eight-chain model, was used to estimate the surface distributions of planar stresses from the strain data. RESULTS: The Lagrangian normal strain values were between ∼16% and ∼29% along the anterior-posterior direction. The motion of material points on the vocal fold surface described an elliptical trajectory during oscillation. A phase difference was observed between the anterior-posterior and the medial-lateral component of the displacement. The strain data and eight-chain model yielded a maximum stress of ∼4 kPa along the medial-lateral direction on the superior surface. CONCLUSION: DIC allowed the strain field over the superior surface of an excised porcine larynx to be quantified during self-oscillation. The approach allowed the determination of the trajectory of specific points on the vocal fold surface. The results for the excised larynx were found to be significantly different than previous results obtained using synthetic replicas. The present study provides suggestions for future studies in human subjects.