Pharyngeal wall movement during speech.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional differences between the lateral walls of the mesopharynx and the epipharynx during speech. Endoscopic and electromyographic techniques were used to demonstrate the movement patterns of these two different levels of the pharyngeal wall and activities of the muscles which were supposed to induce these movements. From the movement date, it was concluded that the epipharyngeal wall contributed to the velopharyngeal closure and the mesopharyngeal wall to the vowl articulation. Electromyographic data clearly showed that the levator veli palatini muscle induced the horizontal movement of the epipharyngeal wall as well as the vertical movement of the velum. On the other hand, the superior constrictor muscle appeared to behave as one of the responsible muscles for the medial displacement of the mesopharyngeal wall.