Glottal motion and its impact on the respiratory flow

Adam Scheinherr (1) , Lucie Bailly (1) , Olivier Boiron (1) , Thierry Legou (2) , Antoine Giovanni (2) , Georges Caillibotte (3) , Marine Pichelin (3)

1 IRPHE - Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Equilibre
2 LPL - Laboratoire Parole et Langage
3 CRCD - Centre de Recherche Claude Delorme [Jouy-en-Josas]

The aim of this study was (i) to characterise the glottal dynamics during human breathing in vivo using laryngofiberscopy and synchronised airflow recordings and (ii) to quantify the effects of a mobile glottis and unsteady flow conditions on laryngeal jet-flow dynamics using CFD modelling. The in vivo study showed that the glottis can be extremely variable during breathing and hence influence airflow characteristics. A glottal area widening was quantified during inspiration, with a typical ratio of 3:1 as compared to expiration. Airflow rate variations differ from harmonic signal during eupnea as well as tachypnea. The correlation between flow-rate and glottal area will be discussed and compared to previous clinical investigations. Preliminary 2D CFD simulations of the glottal jet were carried out based on the measured flow-rate and glottal changes during eupnea. Impact of unsteady flow conditions on the jet development is demonstrated.

Mots clés: glottis; breathing; laryngofiberscopy; image processing; CFD simulations

Domaines: Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]; Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]; Imagerie; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]

Adam Scheinherr, Lucie Bailly, Olivier Boiron, Thierry Legou, Antoine Giovanni, et al.. Glottal motion and its impact on the respiratory flow. 37ème Congrès Société Biomécanique, Oct 2012, Toulouse, France. pp.69-71. ⟨hal-00744016⟩