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Aerodynamic flow variables as a function of velopharyngeal gap size

The classic paradigm for treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is based on the assumption that the severity of the speech disorder correlates with the size of the velopharyngeal (VP) opening. However, several studies have documented that even small VP openings can cause significant speech distortion. Identifying the source of this distortion will allow for improved VPI management. This study investigated the potential contribution of aeroacoustic sources to VPI-related speech distortion. The main effort was to determine how flow characteristics change with respect to VP gap size. This was done by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure the velocity, Reynolds stress R_xy, and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) fields in the velopharyngeal and nasopharyngeal regions of upper airway phantoms with varying VP gap sizes. R_xy and TKE correspond to vortex shedding (dipole) and turbulence (quadrupole) acoustic mechanisms, respectively. The results show significantly higher levels of both R_xy and TKE in the baseline (smallest) VP gap size, implying that aerodynamic dipole and quadrupole sound sources are significantly stronger in a small VP gap size than in a large VP gap size. These data are valuable for validating computational studies of flow and aeroacoustics in VPI scenarios.The classic paradigm for treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is based on the assumption that the severity of the speech disorder correlates with the size of the velopharyngeal (VP) opening. However, several studies have documented that even small VP openings can cause significant speech distortion. Identifying the source of this distortion will allow for improved VPI management. This study investigated the potential contribution of aeroacoustic sources to VPI-related speech distortion. The main effort was to determine how flow characteristics change with respect to VP gap size. This was done by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure the velocity, Reynolds stress R_xy, and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) fields in the velopharyngeal and nasopharyngeal regions of upper airway phantoms with varying VP gap sizes. R_xy and TKE correspond to vortex shedding (dipole) and turbulence (quadrupole) acoustic mechanisms, respectively. The results show significantly higher levels of both R_xy and...