What is sulcus vocalis?
Sulcus vocalis is a thinning or absence of a special layer of tissue, called the superficial lamina propria, which is the tissue covering the vocal cord requires to vibrate in order to produce sound. (Please click here for more information on normal voice function.) The lack of this tissue causes a divot in the vocal cord, which gives the disorder its medical name. Sulcus means “cleft” or “furrow” in latin. It is not at all clear what causes sulcus vocalis. Some physicians think that this is a developmental disorder which occurs around adolescence, when the larynx grows to adult size. They point to the fact that sulcus is never seen in children, and that sulcus appears to be found more often in certain ethnic groups as evidence suggesting that it is developmental and possibly genetic. Others think that it is a long-term result of a vocal fold hemorrhage or cyst. They hypothesize that the healing after hemorrhage or a burst cyst causes the delicate tissue of the vocal fold to shrink and
