DEPENDENCE DETERMINATION OF THE VOCAL FOLD LENGTH, MEASURED BY LARYNGEAL ULTRASOUND, FROM ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Subbotina M.V.1, Pykov M.I.2
1 - Irkutsk State Medical University. Irkutsk, Russia.
2 - Russian Medical Academy of Continuing Professional Education. Moscow, Russia.
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urpose. To determine the vocal folds length in using ultrasound scanning in children and adolescents and its relationship with anthropometric indicators.
Material and methods. A comprehensive prospective monocenter study was conducted, including laryngeal ultrasound (LUS) and ENT-examination of 1082 children and adolescents from 2 months to 18 years old with healthy larynx. LUS was performed in the transverse direction using Aloka 500 and SonoEye2 devices with a 5-10 MHz linear sensor. The patients were examined in a sitting position, the sensor was placed on the front surface of the neck at the level of the lower part of thyroid cartilage, vocal folds and echogenic arytenoid cartilages were found due to respiratory movements. The distance from the place of attachment of the vocal folds to the thyroid cartilage to the echogenic arytenoid cartilages was measured in millimeters with calm breathing. Then the body anthropometry was measured in patients: height, weight, body mass index (BMI). The correlation of the vocal fold’s length with anthropometric data and sex according to Spearman was calculated using the Statistica 7.0 program. By the multiple linear regression the mathematical model of the vocal fold length was created depending on the anthropometry of the body and gender, where the female was taken as 1, the male as 2.
Results. The vocal fold length in children and adolescents was significantly correlated with age (0.73), height (0.85), weight (0.81), BMI (0.63), gender (0.2). The mathematical model based on multiple linear regression for the independent indicator " the vocal fold length" turned out to be of satisfactory quality (coefficient of determination R=0.79): 10.53 + 0.44*age + gender (1 - female, 2 – male)* 1.7 + weight* 0,2 – 0,39* BMI– 0,01*height.
Discussion. Formulas for determining of the vocal fold length in adults, proposed based on measurements of the corpses larynx, measurements of the larynx using computed tomography and ultrasound based on multiple linear regression analysis, did not reveal a relationship between the size of the vocal cords with age, BMI, ethnicity, only with height, gender and voice type. In our study, when examining children and adolescents, sex differences in the vocal folds’ length began to be revealed from the age of 15, and the length of the vocal folds depended on age, gender, weight and BMI, but not significant on height. Ultrasound is an easily accessible noninvasive research method that can be used from early childhood. The proposed formula for calculating the vocal fold length can be used to determine the delay in the development of the larynx, the type of voice.
Conclusion. The length of the vocal folds in children, measured by LUS, correlates with age, weight, height, BMI, and in adolescents from the age of 15 - with gender. Based on the measurement of vocal folds in adolescent and children, a formula is proposed for determining the vocal fold length depending on anthropometric indicators. The growth of vocal folds in adolescents not finished and occurs unevenly, so it is proposed to use this formula for approximate calculations.
Keywords: LUS, laryngeal ultrasound, vocal fold length, children and adolescents, ultrasound diagnostics.
Corresponding author: Subbotina M.V., e-mail: Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript
For citation: Subbotina M.V., Pykov M.I. Dependence determination of the vocal fold length, measured by laryngeal ultrasound, from anthropometric parameters in children and adolescents. REJR 2025; 15(4):75-84. DOI: 10.21569/2222-7415-2025-15-4-75-84.
Received: 12.11.25 Accepted: 08.12.25