A new method for measuring mechanical properties of laryngeal mucosa

A study of the effect of exogenous hazardous agents or conditions on the me chanical characteristics of vocal fold mucosa should meet three methodologi cal criteria. 1) The outer surface of the mucosa should be exposed to the a gent or condition while the inner surface is exposed to a physiological env ironment. 2) Even slight chang es in mechanical characteristics should be d etected. 3) The applied strain should be within physiological ranges. To da te, no such method has been described in the literature. A method meeting t he listed criteria is proposed and evaluated here.