Characterization of lamina propria and vocal muscle in human vocal fold tissue by ultrasound Nakagami imaging

Po Hsiang Tsui, Chih Chung Huang, Lei Sun, Seth H. Dailey, K. Kirk Shung

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: A number of ultrasound techniques have been applied to identify the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds. These conventional ultrasound methods, however, are not capable of visually mapping the concentration of collagen and elastic fibers in the vocal folds in the form of a parametric image. This study proposes to use a statistical parameter, the Nakagami factor estimated from the statistical distribution of the ultrasonic signals backscattered from tissues, as a means for parametric imaging of the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds. Methods: The ultrasonic backscattered signals were acquired from four larynges (eight vocal folds) obtained from individuals without vocal fold pathology for constructing the Nakagami images. The textures of the Nakagami image in the lamina propria (LP) and the vocal muscle (VM) were observed and compared. The average and standard deviation of the Nakagami parameter for the LP and the VM were also calculated. Results: The results showed that the Nakagami parameter of the LP is larger than that of the VM. Moreover, the LP and the VM have different shading features in the Nakagami images. It was found that the Nakagami parameter may depend on the concentration of collagen and elastic fibers, demonstrating that the Nakagami imaging may allow visual differentiation between the LP and the VM in the vocal folds. Conclusions: Current preliminary results suggested that the high-frequency Nakagami imaging may allow real-time visual characterization of the vocal fold tissues in clinical routine examinations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2019-2026
Number of pages8
JournalMedical Physics
Volume38
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2011

Keywords

  • Nakagami image
  • ultrasonic backscattering
  • ultrasound image
  • vocal fold

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Characterization of lamina propria and vocal muscle in human vocal fold tissue by ultrasound Nakagami imaging'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this