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Age-Related Histological Changes of the Vocal Folds

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Aging Voice

Abstract

An intricate relationship produces phonation among the vocal folds, laryngeal muscles, cartilage, and nerves. In addition, mucous secretion from the laryngeal glands is crucial for the pliability of the mucosal wave during phonation. Age-related changes of voice are caused by the simultaneous degeneration of these organs. To understand the mechanisms behind presbyphonia, it is most important to elucidate the associated histological changes. Over the last few decades, many elegant histological studies have been published. In this chapter, we describe our current understanding of the normal histological characteristics in addition to age-related histological changes of the organs associated with voice. This broader understanding may lead to the development of novel treatments for presbyphonia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Masanobu Mizuta MD, PhD

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  1. Masanobu Mizuta MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Masanobu Mizuta MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, Nihon University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Kiyoshi Makiyama

  2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Shigeru Hirano

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Mizuta, M. (2017). Age-Related Histological Changes of the Vocal Folds. In: Makiyama, K., Hirano, S. (eds) Aging Voice. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3698-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3698-9_2

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