Evaluating Laryngeal Ultrasound to Study Larynx State and Height

In this work, we evaluate laryngeal ultrasound as a technique to study the state and height of the larynx. We first discuss general structural registration in laryngeal ultrasound (LUS) and illustrate the articulation of glottal stop. We then present a method for quantifying change in larynx height using optical flow analysis on laryngeal ultrasound video data. The analysis is quantitatively validated for accuracy by using independent control data. Then we qualitatively validate the method by performing simultaneous laryngoscopy and laryngeal ultrasound (SLLUS) on canonical productions of Mandarin tones. We conclude that laryngeal ultrasound is best suited for quantification of larynx height but can also provide limited information about larynx state.