EMG of Pharyngoesophageal Musculature during Alaryngeal Voice Production

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
EMG activity from the inferior constrictor and cricopharyngeus muscles and the voice signal were obtained from 18 laryngectomized male subjects as they produced isolated vowels using alaryngeal phonation. To inflate the esophagus prior to phonation, all subjects but one demonstrated a similar muscle pattern: either one or both muscles studied showed a burst of activity at the moment of inflation. The remaining subject had a muscle pattern during inflation that was identical to a post-laryngectomy swallowing pattern. No typical or modal muscle patterns were found for subjects during the phonatory portion of the alaryngeal voice task. Consistency of pattern within each subject was extremely high during a given procedure and on repeated procedures. The findings suggested that poor talkers had less control of differential muscle contraction than did the adequate talkers and that each laryngectomized talker adopts a phonatory method that is unique to him and consistent with his postoperative anatomy and physiology.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: