Speech intelligibility after glossectomy and speech rehabilitation

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Otolaryngology
• Oncology

Background:

• Oral tumor resections, including glossectomy, frequently lead to articulation deficiencies.
• The extent of resection, reconstruction method, and tongue mobility influence speech outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate speech intelligibility in patients undergoing glossectomy (total, subtotal, or partial).
• To assess the impact of speech therapy on speech intelligibility post-glossectomy.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-seven glossectomy patients were categorized into total, subtotal, or partial resection groups.
• Phonological tasks (vowels, syllables, VCV sequences) and spontaneous speech were analyzed before and after 3-6 months of speech therapy.
• Statistical analyses (ANOVA, Wilcoxon tests) compared pre- and post-therapy intelligibility.

Main Results:

• Patients with total and subtotal glossectomy showed significant improvements in speech intelligibility after therapy (P<.05).
• Specific improvements included vowels, VCV sequences, and spontaneous speech for total glossectomy; and syllables, VCV, and spontaneous speech for subtotal glossectomy.
• Partial glossectomy patients had higher pre-therapy intelligibility, but therapy did not yield statistically significant improvements.

Conclusions:

• Speech therapy is effective in enhancing speech intelligibility for glossectomy patients, even after extensive resections.
• Pre-therapy speech abilities varied among groups, with significant gains observed in total and subtotal glossectomy patients.
• The lack of significant improvement in the partial glossectomy group may be attributed to sample size and heterogeneity.