SEMONS LAW REVISITED - AN ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF LARYNGEAL SYNKINESIS

Felix Semon's fascination with vocal fold paralysis led to his theory attributing medialization to isolated abductor paralysis. Later, the W agner-Grossman hypothesis explained the vocal fold position on the bas is of cricothyroid muscle activity. Other authors since that time have dispelled the notion of a role for the cricothyroid muscle in vocal f old position with paralysis. Utilizing laryngeal electromyography, sev eral authors have found electrical activity suggestive of variable rei nnervation and synkinesis. This current study included patients with p ersistent vocal fold immobility. Fourteen patients were studied: half with good voice and half with poor voice. The patients with good voice had a relatively normal arytenoid position and evidence of synkinesis . The group with poor voice had an arytenoid that tipped into the lary ngeal inlet and had denervation or poor reinnervation. This suggests t hat the medialization and upright position of the arytenoid is due to synkinesis.