Cricothyroid joint type as predictor for vocal fold elongation in professional singers.

OBJECTIVE: Vocal fold (VF) elongation vocal folds depends on two factors: the activity of the laryngeal muscles and the cricothyroid joint (CTJ). The aim of the study was to show the influence of the CTJ on VF elongation while singing a sustained vowel at different pitches.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study.

METHODS: Forty-nine female professional singers (25 sopranos, 24 altos) were recruited. Three-dimensional images of the larynx derived from high-resolution computed tomography scanning were obtained at the mean speaking fundamental frequency (F0) and one (F1) and two octaves (F2) above this pitch.

RESULTS: From F0 to F1, all three CTJ types showed equal elongation of the VF (type A: 14%, type B/C: 13%). From F1 to F2, VF elongation was 8% in singers with type A and 4% in those with type B/C (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: The stability of the CTJ directly influences VF during singing. This is the first study to show this relationship in vivo.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:1176-1181, 2018.