Laryngoaltimeter: A New Ambulatory Device For Laryngeal Height Control (Preliminary Results)

Ilter Denizoglu, Murat Pehlivan

Vertical larynx position (VLP) is important in singing pedagogy and clinical voice pathology. VLP effects Fo, voice timbre and vocal loudness. It is hard to control laryngeal height for a non-trained individual with hyperfunctional voice disorder in which an abnormal laryngeal posture usually coexists. This may be also a problematic issue for pupils in musical training because VLP is mostly controlled by tactile biofeedback. With a comfortably lowered larynx, vocal folds are likely to make better contact and produce a firm glottal closure with an increased control capacity of thyroarytenoid muscle and also resonating volume increases. The result will be a resonant voice with flow phonation.
Laryngoaltimeter is designed to maintain a continuous biofeedback to make the comfortably low laryngeal position habitual. Differences between subglottic and supraglottic resonances (as selected harmonic compositions) are measured by two microphones positioned on the neck individually. When the larynx is heightened, both microphones receive subglottic voice signals. When the larynx is lowered, the level of upper microphone changes and it receives supraglottic signals. The signals from each microphone are filtered, digitalized and processed. Amplitude ratio is used to trigger the auditory and visual biofeedback tools. Laryngoaltimeter seems to be a useful tool during therapy exercises/voice lessons and for monitoring clinical improvement.

Ilter Denizoglu, MD
AlsancakState Hospital Dept of Otolaryngology Unit of Phoniatrics, Izmir, Turkey
Address: 129 sok no 6 da 8 Güzelyali Alsancak Izmir Turkey
tel/ fax: 0090 232 4645577
E-mail: iilterdenizoglu@yahoo.com
Murat Pehlivan, MD, PhD
EgeUniversity Schoolof Medicine Dept of Biophysics
Address: Ege Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Biyofizik AD Bornova Izmir Turkey
e-mail: murat.pehlivan@ege.edu.tr