Speech training for young tongue cancer patients after radioactive seed implantation / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the benefits of speech training for young persons with tongue cancer after 125Ⅰ radioactive seed implantation. Methods:Fifty young persons bearing a 125Ⅰ radioactive seed implanted to treat tongue cancer were given up to 40min of daily tongue function training beginning on the second day after the operation. Abnormal sounds were corrected in the seven days before their discharge. An online platform assisted further training in the family combined with biofeedback. Daily 20-30 minute sessions were prescribed. Time domain waveforms, speech spectra and energy waterfalls were recorded from the 50 subjects before the experiment and after 1 week of the speech training. Intelligibility (PI) was quantified before the operation and the speech training, and then 1, 2, 4 and 6 months after discharge. Results:After 1 week of speech training abnormal waveforms had disappeared from the time domain waveform diagram. Fricative disturbance areas in the speech spectrum diagram had improved significantly, and the energy distribution in the energy waterfall diagram was balanced, showing a trend typical of normal speech fluctuation. The average PI before the operation (39.92±8.46) increased to (40.32±8.79) before the speech training and to (42.78±8.24) one month after discharge. It then continued to improve to (72.32±5.55) 6 months after discharge.Conclusion:Speech training can significantly improve the speech intelligibility of patients with tongue cancer after 125Ⅰ radioactive seed implantation.