[Objective evaluation of the influence of the tongue base reconstruction on the swallowing disorders]

Laryngographic, manometric and videorentgenocinematographic examinations of swallowing were conducted on 54 patients after partial laryngectomy and on 35 subjects being a control group. Resection of a part of the base of the tongue is the factor that causes intensified difficulty during swallowing and increase in the frequency of the occurrence of aspiration. The results of manometric and videorentgenocinematographic examinations indicate that the shape and mobility of the tongue has the greatest influence on the efficient swallowing in patients who have undergone partial laryngectomy due to cancer initially located in the supraglottic area. The importance of remaining the possibly non-deformed structure and mobility of the tongue during partial laryngectomy involves the issue of reconstruction of defects occurred during the surgery. Both manometric and videorentgenocinematographic examinations confirm the effectiveness of the method involving reconstruction of defects in a part of the base of the tongue with a graft of angio-pedunculated submandibular gland. The study of effectiveness of glottis or neoglottis performed with the use of laryngograph showed no relation between glottis/neoglottis occlusion effectiveness index and intensified swallowing disorders. This shows the lack of compensating option in swallowing disorders with the help of a mechanism based on an efficient glottis or neoglottis occlusion alone.