Laryngeal Movement during Cough

Abstract

An analysis of ultra high speed motion pictures of the larynx indicates that each cough burst consists of three stages : 1) a wide opening of the glottis for deep inspiration, 2) an extraordinary tight closure of the glottis, and 3) dynamic vibrations of the laryngeal structures, including the vocal folds, the mucous membrane of the posterior laryngeal wall, the ary-epiglottic folds, and the epiglottis. The vibratory movements are apparently not active, but caused by the strong air current, in accordance with Bernoulli's law. The vibrations are characterized by constant and rapid changes. The entire episode is extremely short and all laryngeal activities are transient. Additional experiments have been initiated to correlate these findings with aerodynamic studies, electromyographic investigations, and acoustic measurements of a cough