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Intelligibility and Perceptual Ratings After Treatment for Laryngeal Cancer: Laryngectomy Versus Radiotherapy
Author(s) -
Finizia Caterina,
Lindström Jörgen,
Dotevall Hans
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/00005537-199801000-00027
Subject(s) - laryngectomy , intelligibility (philosophy) , medicine , audiology , radiation therapy , esophageal speech , perception , surgery , larynx , psychology , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience
In Sweden the most common treatment for T3‐T4 laryngeal carcinoma is radical radiotherapy (with surgery for salvage), because the voice is thus preserved. A Swedish study showed that surgery yielded a significantly better 5‐year survival and locoregional control at 3 years in T4 laryngeal carcinoma than radical radiotherapy. With these results in mind, we wanted to compare the different modes of treatment (surgery with a tracheoesophageal [TE] fistula and radical radiotherapy) with respect to the patients' speech proficiency. Twenty‐eight subjects (with 14 patients in each treatment group) were judged by inexperienced and experienced listeners according to intelligibility by transcription and three perceptual ratings. From the perceptual ratings of speech intelligibility, voice quality, and speech acceptability we conclude that there is a significant difference, the irradiated speakers being rated higher than the tracheoesophageal speakers. It is also clear that most of the TE and irradiated laryngeal speaking patients are comparable to normal laryngeal speakers in intelligibility by transcription. Experienced and inexperienced listeners are able to rate TE and irradiated laryngeal speech reliably and similarly according to intelligibility by transcription. The inexperienced listeners rated the TE speakers significantly higher than did the experienced listeners.