Until now there have many reports on the use of a single instrument for the observation of complicated tongue movement. There have been a few, however, on the use of several instruments having common characteristics for the same purpose. Accordingly, we decided to carry out a fundamental experiment. Five males with individual normal occlusion and normal functioning and between the ages of 23 and 27 served as volunteer subjects. By utilizing X-ray T. V., real-time ultrasound (U. S.) and a strain-gauge pressure transducer in order to observe and measure tongue movement, we developed to synchronous measuring system. It measured the duration of tongue movement during swallowing through X-ray T. V. imaging, U. S. imaging and lingual pressure waves, and peak of lingual pressure. It examined the interrelationship of the duration between X-ray T. V. imaging, U. S. imaging and lingual pressures, and peak of lingual pressure.
The results were as follows.
1) The average values for the duration of lingual pressure shown by two strain-gauge pressure transducers were 1.84 (S. D.±0.47) sec., for tongue movement observed through X-ray T. V. imaging were 2.30 (S. D.±0.47) sec., and for tongue movement observed through U. S. imaging were 2.09 (S. D.±0.50) sec.
2) The coefficient for variation (C. V.) of values of total swallow duration increased in the order lingual pressures 25.5 (%), U. S. imaging 23.9 (%), and X-ray T. V. imaging 20.4 (%).
3) Duration of tongue movement showed conclusively a high relation between X-ray T. V. imaging and U. S. imaging (r=0.9661). Duration of lingual pressure showed conclusively a high relation to duration of tongue movement through X-ray T. V. imaging (r=0.9685).
4) The average value for the peak of lingual pressure shown by the two strain-gauge transducers was 172.1 (S. D.±42.5)gw/cm
2.
The durations of lingual pressure (r=0.9387), tongue movement through X-ray T. V. imaging (r=0.9462) and tongue movement through U. S. imaging (r=0.9231) all showed a conclusively strong relationship to the values for the peak lingual pressure.
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