Length of the human vocal folds: proposal of mathematical equations as a function of gender and body height.

To obtain a mathematical equation that could estimate the length of the intermembranous part of the vocal fold as a function of body height and gender, we removed the larynges from 39 cadavers (22 men and 17 women) after recording the subject's height, age, and cause of death. The dimensions of the vocal folds were determined with a digital pachymeter. The following equations were obtained: y = 0.18x - 15.8 for men and y = 0.24x - 28.1 for women, where y is the length of the intermembranous part of the vocal folds in millimeters and x is the height of the individual in centimeters. We conclude that it is possible to estimate the normal expected length of the intermembranous portion of the male and female vocal folds on the basis of body height.