Lung volume and phonation: A methodological study

Abstract

Lung volume affects the tracheal pull which according to Zenker (1964) tends to widen the glottis and thus may affect phonation. In the present study five healthy subjects with untrained voices phonated at high and low lung volumes while rib cage and abdominal wall circumferences, subglottal pressure, larynx position and voice-source characteristics were determined. The results showed that subglottal pressure, larynx height, glottal compliance, i.e., the ratio flow-pulse area to subglottal pressure, and the closed quotient tended to vary with lung volume. The results suggest that the method can be used in a full scale investigation.

Key Words:

• breathing
• phonation
• flow glottogram
• lung volume
• tracheal pull