Speech intelligibility after partial glossectomy in children with Down's syndrome.

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Pediatric Surgery
• Genetics

Background:

• Down syndrome is often associated with speech impairments.
• Surgical interventions like partial glossectomy are sometimes considered for cosmetic reasons in these children.
• The impact of glossectomy on speech intelligibility in Down syndrome populations is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of partial glossectomy on speech intelligibility in children with Down syndrome.
• To assess both cosmetic and functional outcomes of the surgical procedure.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-three children with Down syndrome underwent partial glossectomy.
• Preoperative and postoperative speech samples were collected and rated for intelligibility by lay and expert listeners.
• Acoustic analysis of speech intelligibility was performed on recorded word and connected speech samples.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference in acoustic speech intelligibility was found between preoperative and postoperative assessments.
• Speech intelligibility ratings for both single words and connected speech showed no significant improvement.
• Some patients experienced aesthetic improvements, but this did not correlate with enhanced speech intelligibility.

Conclusions:

• Wedge-excision partial glossectomy in children with Down syndrome does not yield significant improvements in acoustic speech intelligibility.
• The procedure may offer aesthetic benefits in some individuals.
• Further research is needed to explore alternative or complementary interventions for speech improvement in this population.