2011 Volume 60 Issue 4 Pages 349-355
The purpose of this study was to use speech intelligibility test and ultrasonography to examine the efficacy of a palatal augmentation prosthesis (PAP) in relation to speech function in a patient after glossectomy. A 38-year-old male with severe articulation disorders was referred to our clinic for treatment. Prosthetic treatment using PAP and speech therapy was performed. Speech function with and without PAP was evaluated using the Japanese Conversational Speech Test, a one hundred syllable Japanese Speech Intelligibility Test and ultrasound observation at two months and six months after surgery.
The results were as follows.
1. Japanese Conversational Speech Test: When wearing PAP, speech intelligibility was improved from Stage 4 to Stage 2 at two months after surgery and from Stage 3 to Stage 1 at six months after surgery.
2. Japanese Speech Intelligibility Test: By wearing PAP, the mean speech intelligibility improved from 14% to 43% at two months after surgery, and from 22% to 57% at six months after surgery.
3. Observation of movements of the tongue with ultrasonography during production of the vowel /i/: Both residual and reconstructed tongue exhibited restricted movement at two months after surgery. Despite the decrease in tongue volume, the movement of tongue increased at six months after surgery.
The study concluded that PAP was useful in the patient with severe restriction in tongue movement resulting from glossectomy. The ultrasonography was useful in evaluating the volume and movement of the tongue after wearing PAP.
