The Role of the Cricopharyngeus Muscle in Pitch Control - Electromyographic and radiographic studies

Electromyographic studies of the cricopharyngeus muscle using hooked wire electrodes were performed in thyroidectomized patients. The shape of the cricoid cartilage and soft tissue thickness in the postcricoid area were evaluated during pitch elevation and pitch lowering using conventional neck lateral films. The cricopharyngeus muscle simultaneously activated in the initial task of speech and continuously activated. Its activity lessened in the interrogative stress contrast of sentence terminals and increased in the pitch lowered contrast of sentence terminal. On the radiologic findings the cricoid cartilage was tilted backward during high pitched phonation and tilted forward during low pitched phonation. The soft tissue thickness of postcricoid area was thicker at the low pitch than at high pitch. At low pitch the cricoid cartilage paralleled along the vertebral column. This result suggests that the bulging of cricopharyngeus muscle in contraction induce a thickened the postcricoid area thickened, and exert pressure anteriorly exerted on the cricoid cartilage. This contraction of the cricopharyngeus muscle may result in shortening the vocal fold and lowering pitch.