Quantification of Vocal Tract Configuration of Older Children with Down syndrome: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology Authors: S. A. Xue, L. Kaine, M I. Ng Abstract: AR technology has been extensively used as an objective diagnostic tool for locating structural and functional abnormalities within the oral and pharyngeal cavities, and in a variety of clinical applications, including (1) locating site and severity of vocal tract obstructions…

Mandibular Advancement Achieved through a Stepped Mouthpiece Design Can Change the Size of the Upper Airways

Presented at Respiratory Drug Delivery 2010, Orlando, Florida April, 2010 Authors: Kurt Nikander, Ian Petherbridge, Eugene Scargerry, dirk Von Hollen, John Viviano, Henry Chrystyn Summary: “Maximal lung deposition of inhaled aerosols is important in the treatment of respiratory diseases. The upper airways are known to affect the deposition of aerosol in the lungs. The design…

Role of Extracellular Fluid Volume in Inducing or Aggravating Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea in Patients with Resistant Hypertension

Prosserman Centre for Health Research (Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute), Mount Sinai Hospital, 2009 Author: Oded Friedman Discussion: Lower Body Positive Pressure Experiment “Upper airway cross-sectional area was determined using acoustic pharyngometry (Eccovision Acoustic pharyngometry; Sleep Group Solutions, Miami, Fl) at end-expiration. Two parameters, oropharyngeal junction area and mean cross-sectional area from the velum to the…

Short- and Long-term effects of CPAP on upper airway anatomy and collapsibility in OSAH

Sleep Breath, 2009 Authors: L. Corda, S. Redolfi, L. Taranto Montemurro, G E. La Piana, E. Bertella, C. Tantucci Intro: “More easily and rapidly than MRI, acoustic pharyngometry can be used to assess the UA caliber and its change in OSAH patients.” Methods: “Acoustic pharyngometry UA anatomy was evaluated in the supine position by means…

Heritability of Upper Airway Dimensions Derived Using Acoustic Pharyngometry

European Respiratory Journal, 2008 Authors: S. R. Patel, MD, J. M. Frame, E. K. Larkin, PhD, Susan Redline, MD, MPH Conclusion: “Our results suggest that upper airway dimensions derived via acoustic pharyngometry demonstrate substantial intra-familial correlation.” “Acoustic pharyngometry, because of its ease of use, is ideally suited for the study of the thousands of subjects…

Alterations in upper airway cross-sectional area in response to lower body positive pressure in healthy subjects

Thorax, 2007 Authors: S. Shiota, C. M. Ryan, K.L. Chiu, P. Ruttanaumpawan, J. Haight, M. Arzt, J. S. Floras, C. Chan and T. D. Bradley Conclusion: “In healthy subject, displacement of fluid from the legs by LBPP causes distension of the neck and narrowing of the UA lumen. Fluid displacement from the lower to the…

Acoustic Pharyngometry: Clinical and Instrumental Correlations in Sleep Disorders

Revista Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia, 2007 Authors: M. Gelardi, A. Maselli del Giudice, F. Cariti, m. Cassano, A. Castelante Farras, J. L. Fiorella, P. Cassano Conclusion: “In our experience, acoustic pharyngometry allowed the precise observation of oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal cross-sections in the groups we studied by defining a characteristic and easily recognized airway network geometry.”…

Oral appliances for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

Asian Biomedicine, 2007 Author: Robert L. Horchover Discussion: “Oral devices are not for every patient. An adequate evaluation should include a full medical examination and polysomnography to document sleep apnea severity and screening for predisposing factors associated with neck and shoulder muscles, including mandibular range of motion, occlusion, dentition and the intra-oral anatomy, tongue size…

Normative Standards for Vocal Tract Dimensions by Race as Measured by Acoustic Pharyngometry

Journal of Voice, 2006 Authors: S. A. Xue and J. G. Hao Conclusion: “Acoustic pharyngometry evaluates the geometry of the vocal tract with acoustic reflections and provides information about vocal tract cross-sectional area and volume from lip to the glottis. Variations in vocal tract diameters are needed for speech scientists to validate various acoustic models…

Volumetric Measurements of Vocal Tracts for Male speakers from Different Races

Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 2006 Authors: S. A. Xue, G. J. Hao, and R. Mayo Conclusion: “Research examining physiologic and acoustic characteristics of culturally diverse populations is sorely needed, but rarely reported. The major aim of this study was to quantify vocal tract dimensional parameters (oral length, oral volume, pharyngeal length, pharyngeal volume, total vocal…

Oropharyngeal Dimensions in Adults: Effect of Ethnicity, Gender, and Sleep Apnea

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2005 Authors: K. Monahan, H. L. Kirchner, S. Redline Conclusion: “We concluded that (1) acoustic pharyngometry identifies differences in upper airway characteristics based on gender, ethnicity, and SDB status and (2) novel parameters can assist in quantifying these pharyngeal phenotypes. The novel parameters can potentially facilitate quantitative, as an adjunct…

Assessing Orthotic Normalization of Pharyngeal Dynamics

Journal of Craniomandibular Practice, 2004 Author: J. S. Viviano, B.Sc., D.D.S. Conclusion: “Both non-invasive and accurate, acoustic reflectometry (AR) provides and objective measurement of the oral cavity and pharyngeal airway caudal to the velopharynx down to the glottis. Other advantages include ease of use and repeatability, inexpensive to perform, and high patient acceptance.” “Although video…

Increased Upper Airway Collapsibility in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea during Wakefulness

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical care Medicine, 2004 Authors: D. Gozal and M. M. Burnside Conclusion: “This study shows that acoustic pharyngometric measurements of the upper airway before and after topical anesthesia provide a reproducible measure of Upper Airway Collapsibility in awake children. Furthermore, a cutoff value derived from the differences in cross-section area…

Solid Modeling of Human Vocal Tract using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Acoustic Pharyngometer

Proceedings of the 26th Annual International conference of the IEEE EMBS , 2004 Authors: H. Z. Tameem and B. V. Mehta Conclusion: “The geometric information such as cross-sectional area and the volume of the vocal tract can be obtained using the [Eccovision] Acoustic Pharyngometer. The accuracy of this device is verified during this research and…