Arytenoid asymmetry in relation to vocal symptoms in singers

(1) To look at the prevalence of arytenoid asymmetry in singers with or without vocal symptoms and (2) to examine the correlation between arytenoid asymmetry and vocal symptoms.

A total of 110 medical records and video recordings of singers were evaluated for the presence or absence of arytenoid asymmetry, in relation to the position of the corniculate cartilages, cuneiform cartilages, and the aryepiglottic angle.

The male to female ratio was 2:1. The age range varied between 15 and 39 years with a mean of 23.4+4.21 years. Almost 17% had history of smoking. The prevalence of arytenoid asymmetry during adduction in the overall sample was 53.6%. It was more common in males (74.6%) and on the right side (76.2%). The most common asymmetry was the cuneiform asymmetry accounting for 49.1% of the total sample and 91.6% of the total asymmetries. This was followed by aryepiglottic angle asymmetry in 31.9% and corniculate asymmetry in 27.3% of the total sample. Almost 25% of the total sample had vocal symptoms. The most common vocal symptom was vocal fatigue occurring in 22.7%, followed by hoarseness in 19% and contracted range in 10.9% of the cases. There was no correlation between any of the vocal symptoms and arytenoid asymmetry. All the P values were greater than 0.05.

Arytenoid asymmetry during adduction is common in singers. There seem to be no correlation between arytenoid asymmetry and vocal symptoms.