Computer-Aided Technique for Automatic Determination of the Relationship between Transglottal Pressure Change and Voice Fundamental Frequency

Abstract

Objectives: The effect of artificially altered transglottal pressures on the voice fundamental frequency (F0) is known to be associated with vocal fold stiffness. Its measurement, though useful as a potential diagnostic tool for noncontact assessment of vocal fold stiffness, often requires manual and painstaking determination of an unstable F0 of voice. Here, we provide a computer-aided technique that enables one to carry out the determination easily and accurately. Methods: Human subjects vocalized in accordance with a series of reference sounds from a speaker controlled by a computer. Transglottal pressures were altered by means of a valve embedded in a mouthpiece. Time-varying vocal F0 was extracted, without manual procedures, from a specific range of the voice spectrum determined on the basis of the controlled reference sounds. Results: The validity of the proposed technique was assessed for 11 healthy subjects. Fluctuating voice F0 was tracked automatically during experiments, providing the relationship between transglottal pressure change and F0 on the computer. Conclusions: The proposed technique overcomes the difficulty in automatic determination of the voice F0, which tends to be transient both in normal voice and in some types of pathological voice.