Proposal of measurement of vertical larynx position at rest

Aim: The purpose of this research is to propose a procedure to measure the vertical larynx position in the neck at rest in young adults without vocal complaint. Study Design: Transversal cohort study. Material and method: There were 68 subjects, aged between 18 to 44 years, 33 female and 35 male. The anatomical landmarks used for this research study were the right and left jaw angle (RJA and LJA), the centre of the cricoid arch cartilage (CC) and the centre of the sternal furculum (SF). In order to obtain the measures, the subjects were asked to be sitting still with their heads stretched up to the highest possible position. The devices used were a drawing compass and a 20-centimeter ruler. Results: The measurement procedure proved to be easy and it did not show any discomfort to the participants. There was no statistically significant difference between genders related to the vertical larynx position in the neck; however the women presented higher larynx position than men. The vertical larynx position was easily obtained and it seems to be a very interesting parameter to intra-subject clinical follow-up.