Parametric Study and Numerical Simulation of Artificial Vocal Folds for Oesophageal Insertion

Parametric Study and Numerical Simulation of Artificial Vocal Folds for Oesophageal Insertion | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Parametric Study and Numerical Simulation of Artificial Vocal Folds for Oesophageal Insertion Kawthar Witwit, Waleed J. Al-Mashhadani, PhD This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6297427/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background : Total laryngectomy results in the removal of the vocal folds, leading to permanent loss of natural speech. Current interventions, such as the electrolarynx and sound-producing voice prostheses (SPVP), provide lim ited phonation restoration. We propose a novel artificial vocal fold design af f ixed to a tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) and implanted in the esophagus. This investigation assesses whether these artificial vocal folds, constrained by esophageal dimensions, can restore natural speech characteristics by analyzing key acoustic parameters. The findings provide data for future enhancements of the prosthesis examined in this study. Methods : Aninvitroparametricinvestigationwasconductedtoassessartifi cial vocal folds, constrained by esophageal dimensions, without evaluating full TEP integration. The study examined three primary factors: diameter, thick ness, and material elasticity, analyzing their effects on sound-related parame ters such as fundamental frequency (f0) and loudness. Experiments were per formedusingphysicalsiliconmodels,complementedbynumericalsimulations for validation. Results : Despite size limitations, the artificial vocal folds generated sound spectra comparable to human speech. The f0 ranged from 87 to 250 Hz, suit able for both male and female voices. Loudness measurements ranged from 53 to 67dB,aligningwithtypicalspeechlevels. Theparametricstudyrevealedrela tionships between modelparametersandsoundcharacteristics, indicating that increasedelasticityledtohigher f0,whilegreaterthicknessresultedinincreased maximum loudness. Numerical simulations corroborated these experimental outcomes. Conclusions : This research indicates that esophageal-implanted artificial vocal folds offer a promising approach for restoring phonation. Future inves tigations should build upontheseinitial findingsbytestingtheentireprosthetic device in vivo and exploring biosignal-based control mechanisms to optimize vocal fold function. Biomedical Engineering Vocal Folds model FSI simulation total laryngectomy COMSOL TEP voice prosthesis Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files geom.pdf mesh2.pdf model.pdf moldinsw.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6297427","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":433333534,"identity":"1c25e893-e3c1-4634-bb28-1b58fba45408","order_by":0,"name":"Kawthar Witwit","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of baghdad","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kawthar","middleName":"","lastName":"Witwit","suffix":""},{"id":433333535,"identity":"8513e859-6b83-4a8a-8753-fda1de2b9eee","order_by":1,"name":"Waleed J. 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Current interventions, such as \u0026nbsp;the electrolarynx and sound-producing voice prostheses (SPVP), provide lim ited phonation restoration. We propose a novel artificial vocal fold design af f \u0026nbsp;ixed to a tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) and implanted in the esophagus. \u0026nbsp;This investigation assesses whether these artificial vocal folds, constrained by \u0026nbsp;esophageal dimensions, can restore natural speech characteristics by analyzing \u0026nbsp;key acoustic parameters. The findings provide data for future enhancements of \u0026nbsp;the prosthesis examined in this study. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e: Aninvitroparametricinvestigationwasconductedtoassessartifi cial vocal folds, constrained by esophageal dimensions, without evaluating full \u0026nbsp;TEP integration. The study examined three primary factors: diameter, thick ness, and material elasticity, analyzing their effects on sound-related parame ters such as fundamental frequency (f0) and loudness. Experiments were per formedusingphysicalsiliconmodels,complementedbynumericalsimulations \u0026nbsp;for validation. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e: Despite size limitations, the artificial vocal folds generated sound \u0026nbsp;spectra comparable to human speech. The f0 ranged from 87 to 250 Hz, suit able for both male and female voices. Loudness measurements ranged from 53 \u0026nbsp;to 67dB,aligningwithtypicalspeechlevels. Theparametricstudyrevealedrela tionships between modelparametersandsoundcharacteristics, indicating that \u0026nbsp;increasedelasticityledtohigher f0,whilegreaterthicknessresultedinincreased \u0026nbsp;maximum loudness. Numerical simulations corroborated these experimental \u0026nbsp;outcomes. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions\u003c/strong\u003e: This research indicates that esophageal-implanted artificial \u0026nbsp;vocal folds offer a promising approach for restoring phonation. Future inves tigations should build upontheseinitial findingsbytestingtheentireprosthetic \u0026nbsp;device in vivo and exploring biosignal-based control mechanisms to optimize \u0026nbsp;vocal fold function.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Parametric Study and Numerical Simulation of Artificial Vocal Folds for Oesophageal Insertion","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-01 03:50:38","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6297427/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"3e6f3de8-6855-4b74-b6dc-c9ec5b8fcad0","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 1st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":46141869,"name":"Biomedical Engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-04-01T03:50:38+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-01 03:50:38","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6297427","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6297427","identity":"rs-6297427","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}