The vocal folds have the appearance of medial fullness, typically at the junction of the anterior and middle third of the fold. Glottic closure is compromised. Mucosal wave is present bilaterally, though both it and the vibratory amplitude may be decreased. Sulcus vocalis Sulcus vocalis is a focal furrow in the covering of the vocal fold. These lesions most often are unilateral and represent a tethering of the overlying epithelium to the deeper connective tissue.
Glottic closure is incomplete.
Stroboscopy demonstrates a focal interruption in the mucosal wave at the site of the sulcus, and vibratory patterns are asymmetrical between the true vocal folds. While videostroboscopy greatly expands the diagnostic sensitivity of laryngoscopy, its interpretation is dependent upon the skill and experience of the performing clinician, and more specifically, the diagnostic interpreter. Several technologies have been developed to provide more objective measurements of the amplitude of vibration and mucosal wave. From this information, glottal opening and closing rates are calculated. These measurements are purported to be correlates of vocal fold pliability and have been shown to be statistically different in preoperative and postoperative states for benign vocal fold lesions.