title: Aging voice and the laryngeal muscle atrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study by means of morphometric measurements the severity of vocal muscle atrophy in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cadaver study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu Medical School, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty vocal folds were collected from necropsies distributed into three groups: aged 60 to 75 years (n=10); aged 76 to 90 years (n=10); and a control group aged 30 to 50 years (n=10). Specimens for histology were obtained from the middle portion of the vocal folds. The stained specimens were analyzed using Axion Vision software (coupled to a Zeiss [Oberkochen, Germany] microscope) and used in the morphometric analyses conducted with the ImageJ software. The diameters of 200 muscle fibers from each slide were measured, and the mean values were statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean values of the diameters of the vocal muscle fibers of the elderly age groups were smaller than in the control: control (30-50 years: 16.389 μm); elderly (60-75 years: 14.412 μm; 76-90 years: 14.162 μm) (P<0.01). No statistical differences were observed between genders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The morphometric analysis showed smaller diameters of vocal muscle fibers in the elderly when compared to controls, demonstrating the atrophy of the muscle. No statistical differences were observed between genders.
  
  
  METHODS
  N/A.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista.
authors.forename: Regina Helena Garcia
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista.
authors.forename: Adriana Bueno
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Benito Pessin
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista.
authors.forename: Douglas Jorge
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Nassib
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista.
authors.forename: Anete
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Branco
authors.affiliation: São Paulo State Technological College/FATEC, Botucatu.
authors.forename: Sergio Augusto
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Institute of Bioscience-UNESP, Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Selma Maria Michelim
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Matheus
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007821:Laryngeal Muscles / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000473:pathology*; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Larynx; morphometry; presbyphonia; vocal muscle; voice