Relationship between aerodynamic measures of glottal efficiency and stroboscopic findings in asymptomatic singing students

Singing requires exquisite coordination between the respiratory and phonato ry systems to efficiently control glottal airflow. Asymptomatic singing stu dents underwent pulmonary function testing (PFT), videostrobolaryngoscopic examination, and measures of glottal efficiency (maximum phonation time [MP T], glottal flow rate [GFR], and phonation quotient [PQ]) performed in both a sung and spoken tone. Pulmonary function and glottal efficiency values w ere within reported normative data for professional singers. However, sung tones were made with significantly higher GFR and PQ and lower PQ than spok en tones. The mean GFR was not related to the degree of glottal closure (by videostrobolaryngoscopy) or underlying pulmonary support.