Effects of Vibration on Small Blood Vessel Perfusion within the Vocal Folds

Vibration of small blood vessels in the human body has been shown to vary perfusion flow rate, which in turn influences processes such as oxygen, nutrient, and waste transport. In particular, the vasculature within the human vocal folds is subjected to sustained, high-frequency, large-amplitude vibrations. Consequently, an improved understanding of how vibration characteristics affect perfusion rate within the vocal fold vasculature is sought. To this end, a study of a three-dimensional computational model of flow through a vibrating tube was undertaken. The flow, physical, and vibratory characteristics were based on previous experiments and defined so as to simulate the nature of flow through a vibrating vocal fold. In this presentation, the setup for the computational model is described. Time step, grid size, and convergence criteria studies used to verify the model are summarized, as are the comparisons of simulation output to prior experimental results for model validation. Subsequent investigations to quantify the relationships between perfusion rate and input variables such as vibration amplitude and frequency, vessel diameter and length, and flow properties are presented. These results are used to draw conclusions about the influence of vocal fold vibration on perfusion flow rate, and implications for voice production and anatomical health are discussed.