Joel C. Ross

Fungal colonization of tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis

Laryngectomized patients fitted with tracheoesophageal (TE) puncture voice prosthesis may experience frequent failures in adequate production of neophonation. In some cases, these phonatory problems result from obstruction of the voice prosthesis with various deposits. The nature of these deposits was studied with mycologic techniques and by light and scanning electron microscopy. Candida albicans and other fungal species were identified.

Production of Parathyroid Hormone by Laryngeal Cancer: Report of a Case

Nonparathyroid humoral hypercalcemia is becoming an increasingly more common problem associated with carcinoma. Carcinomas of the head and neck may elaborate parathormone or parathormone-like humors that in the absence of bone metastases, renal disease, parathytoid tumors, or secondary hyperparathyroidism may produce hypercalcemia, which if unrecognized, complicates and prevents the appropriate management of the patient. This report deals with the production of parathyroid hormone and the first reported case, to our knowledge, of carcinoma of the larynx associated with nonparathyroid hypercalcemia.

Columellar advancement for nasal tip elevation

V‐Y columellar advancement procedures can be successfully used to re‐elevate depressed nasal tips following trauma or septoplasty, even though a normal length columella exists. The columellar flap, with its lateral darts, produces the necessary long term nasal elevation. Two cases are described that illustrate the technique.

Visual observations of glottic activity during didgeridoo performance

Australian didgeridoo is a reed-less hollow conically shape wooden tubular wind instrument typically measuring up to 150 cm in length, with distal and proximal diameters ranging from 150 to 30 mm. This tube allows a player to produce only a narrow variety of sound and sounds effects because it is coupled directly to the players vocal tract. The typical frequency of the tube typically called the drone, is approximately within 60 to 100 Hz range. This tone generation modulated by lip vibration is supported by circular breathing, allowing for an uninterrupted (indefinite) length of sound generation. Inhalation introduces sound pulsation, while specific tonal effects can be consciously created by manipulation of the players lips and/or the vocal tract, including conscious phonation using vocal folds vibration, all used to enrich both the sound and the artistic meaning of the played sequence. Though the results of the research on the acoustics of this instrument are often reported in the literature, physiologic data regarding vocal tract configurations, and especially on the behavior of the vocal folds in regulation of ventilation and in phonation, remain less than underreported. The data presented here comprises (as far as we were able to determine) the first ever physiologic account of vocal fold activity in a didgeridoo player observed with help of trans-nasal endoscopy. Our focus was to reveal the work of t