Imaging techniques of the tongue and vocal tract
Maureen L. Stone · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1988
The four most well-known imaging techniques that have been applied to tongue and vocal tract research are x-ray, computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (US). Imaging systems provide very different articulatory information from flesh point tracking systems. They provide information about the shape and position of the entire structure being imaged, rather than a single point on that structure. In addition, the images usually can be made in multiple planes providing midsagittal, parasagittal, coronal, transverse, and oblique sections of the structure. There are, however, several limitations to these systems. CT and MRI create static images only. Ultrasound cannot image hard tissue; x ray can only be used in limited amounts. This paper will discuss the advantages and limitations of imaged data, as well as the uniqueness of the measurements made from them.