COMPORTAMENTO DOS MÚSCULOS CERVICAIS EM INDIVÍDUOS COM FALA ESOFÁGICA E LARINGE ARTIFICIAL Behavior of cervical muscles in individuals with esophageal speech and arti! cial larynx

ABSTRACTPurpose: to evaluate by the surface electromyography the behavior of the sternocleidomastoid and cervical paraspinalis muscles, bilaterally in patients who use esofagic and arti! cial larynx as alternative to talk and to determine if these conditions modify the cervical muscles behavior. Methods: ten volunteers were evaluated (two women, eight men), with average age: 49. 7 years, with total laryngectomy, average time of postoperative: 2.6 years, with neck movements limitation, divided in two groups: group 1 with ! ve volunteers (arti! cial larynx); group 2 with ! ve volunteers (esofagic voice); and group 3 control (seven volunteers). Results: there was no signi! cant difference in the muscular activation pattern during phonation in individuals with esofagic voice and the arti! cial larynx compared to the control group, however, in the rest condition, there was a signi! cant difference comparing the average values of Root Mean Square (RMS) of groups 1 and 2 with group 3, for the right sternocleidomastoid muscle and the right cervical paraspinalis muscles.