Effect of Chant Training on the Morphology of the Lateral Thyrohyoid Ligament: A Biometric and Acoustic Assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of chant training both on the morphologic structure of the lateral thyrohyoid ligament (LTL) and on the acoustic characteristics of the voice. Three groups of people participated in the study. Group I was new to chant training, group II had completed or was still continuing chant training, and group III, the control group, did not have any chant training. For all participants, laryngeal cervical magnetic resonance imaging was performed to measure the right and the left LTLs. Additionally, vocal acoustic analyses were performed and compared with the anatomic morphometric measurements. Appropriate statistical assessments were performed to evaluate the measurements. The length of the LTL was greater in men, and this finding supports the gender-specific differences in laryngeal structures. Anatomic differences between groups showed that 8 months of training was not sufficient to trigger morphologic changes. The left and right LTLs were asymmetric, but this finding was not statistically significant. Analyses revealed that vocal training causes morphologic changes in anatomic structures, which affect vocal quality.