Evaluation of Laryngeal Muscle Function by Quantitative Analysis of the EMG Interference Pattern

A computerized method for quantitative analysis of the EMG interference pattern was tested in the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles with the purpose of evaluating its usefulness for clinical purposes. In a normal male subject the mean amplitude and the number of turns/s were extracted from the EMG signal of sustained chest register phonations, with systematic variation of vocal pitch and intensity. In the cricothyroid, as well as the thyroarytenoid muscle, there was a considerable increase in mean amplitude and turns/s with both increased pitch and increased intensity. Pitch variation was the most effective way to induce changes in turns and amplitude levels in both muscles. In contrast to results from studies of larger muscles, the increase in both amplitude and turns was proportional to muscle force also at the highest loads.