Electromyographic control of prosthetic voice after total laryngectomy

Abstract

The electrolarynx (EL) is a common rehabilitative speech aid for individuals who have undergone laryngectomy, but typical devices lack pitch control and require the exclusive use of one hand. This study investigated the viability of surface electromyography (sEMG) to control the onset and offset of an EMG-controlled EL (EMG-EL) while attending to real-time sEMG biofeedback using sEMG collected from seven locations across the ventral neck and face surface in eight individuals at least 1 year past total laryngectomy.Speech performance was assessed as the percentage of fully voiced words and successfully produced pauses. During use of the EMG-EL with biofeedback participants increased the sEMG during words and decreased the sEMG during pauses. Electrodes on the superior ventral neck, submental surface, and below the comer of the mouth showed consistently high performance across all participants. These results indicate promise for the applicability of the EMG-EL across a large segment of the laryngectomy population.