Analysis of the articulation after glossectomy

Abstract

Rehabilitation of the oral cancer patient should aim to achieve not only morphological restoration but also post-operative functions. However, there are few reports describing quantitative evaluation of the latter. The authors have attempted quantitative evaluation of post-operative articulatory function after glossectomy, and report the evaluation of it by speech intelligibility, electropalatography (EPG), and acoustical analysis. Subjects were five directly sutured patients and five patients reconstructed with forearm flap, all after glossectomy. The target syllable was /ta/ from among speech intelligibility test samples. The speech intelligibility and acoustical analysis were investigated pre-operation, and 1,6 and 12 months post-operation. EPG data were collected by DP-01(RION) at 6 months post-operation. Acoustical analyses were carried out by consonant frequency characteristics and formant variance from consonant to vowel transitions. As a result, subjects reconstructed with a forearm flap showed higher restorative tendency than directly sutured subjects. Articulatory characteristics expected from acoustical analysis were more in agreement with the results of EPG than with the results of the speech intelligibility test. From the results, it was suggested that the acoustical analysis used for this research could reveal changes in articulatory movement and will be useful for quantitatively evaluating post-operative articulatory functions.

Tongue pressure in patients with tongue cancer resection and reconstruction

“…In this study, tongue pressure was examined by using a balloon-type measurement device in patients after tongue tumor resection and reconstruction. Few studies have measured tongue pressure after tumor resection and reconstruction [7,8]. Others have reported that disease severity and tongue resection type strongly affect postoperative speech and swallowing ability [5,6].…”

“…However, it is true that the tendency is for patients with primary closure to have lessened tongue resection. Another study indicated that the patients receiving flap reconstruction displayed higher oral function than those patients with primary closure alone [7]. Thus, through advances of surgical flap reconstruction, outcomes of tongue flap reconstruction appear to have improved substantially.…”

“…It is well reported that disease severity and tongue resection type strongly affect postoperative speech and swallowing ability [5,6]. However, there is a paucity of reports regarding the measurement of tongue pressure after tumor resection and reconstruction [7,8]. In the present study, we used a clinically convenient balloon-type tongue measurement device to measure tongue pressure of patients who had undergone tongue tumor resection and reconstructive surgery and to clarify the relationship between tongue pressure and tongue resection type.…”

Functional evaluation of cancer surgery in oral and maxillofacial region: speech function

“…For instance, Wakumoto et al 4 have attempted quantitative evaluation of postoperative articulatory function after glossectomy, by speech intelligibility, electropalatography (EPG), and acoustic analysis. Several methods are utilized to evaluate oronasal separation and articulation.…”

Speech after radial forearm free flap reconstruction of the tongue: A longitudinal acoustic study of vowel and diphthong sounds

“…The effects of oral cancer surgery on speech have primarily been examined using subjective perceptual evaluation and transcription of tape-recorded speech samples (e.g. Wakumoto, Ohno, Imai, Yamashita, Akizuki, and Michi, 1996;Korpijaakko-Huuhka, Söderholm, and Lehtihalmes, 1999;Furia, Kowalski, Latorre, Angelis, Martins, Barros, and Ribeiro, 2001;Terai and Shimahara, 2004) and more objective methods of oral physiology including articulatory imaging (e.g. Georgian, Logemann, and Fischer, 1982;Schliephake, Schmelzeisen, Schönweiler, Schneller, and Altenbernd, 1998;Kimata, Sakuraba, Hishinuma, Ebihara, Hayashi, Asakage, Nakatsuka, and Harii, 2003;Sun, Weng, Li, Wang, and Zhang, 2007).…”