<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<bold>BACKGROUND.</bold> Considering the problematic social integration after total laryngectomy, evaluation of communicational aptitudes of patients after the surgical intervention is necessary in order to optimize their vocal rehabilitation process.
<bold>MATERIAL AND METHODS.</bold> A prospective clinical study was conducted on 24 randomly selected patients of the Otolaryngology Clinic of Targu Mures County Emergency Clinical Hospital that underwent total laryngectomy. We adapted and implemented the questionnaire for Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences after Laryngectomy – SECEL. Three groups of patients were created: the first containing those with voice prosthesis, the second those using electrolarynx and esophageal voice, and the third with no rehabilitation. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test for the statistical analysis of the results.
<bold>RESULTS.</bold> The mean age of the patients included in our study group was 63 years (+/− 7.56 SD). 95.83% of the participants were male. 79.16% were married. The majority (87.50%) of patients were retired. In 75% of cases, 0 to 5 years have passed since the surgery. 75% reported diminished communication after surgery. The test used to determine if significant differences were present between the examined groups showed a p-value of 0.1329 (total scores), p-value of 0.3244 (the first score of SECEL), p-value = 0.6004 (the second score of SECEL) and a p-value of 0.0613 (the third score of SECEL). Given that p was higher than 0.05, the null hypotheses could not be rejected. The patients who underwent rehabilitation by tracheoesophageal prosthesis showed the best results in all tested categories.
<bold>CONCLUSION.</bold> The SECEL questionnaire adapted in Romanian language could be used as a valid screening instrument in order to improve voice rehabilitation, but it needs further testing.
</abstract>

BACKGROUND. Considering the problematic social integration after total laryngectomy, evaluation of communicational aptitudes of patients after the surgical intervention is necessary in order to optimize their vocal rehabilitation process.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. A prospective clinical study was conducted on 24 randomly selected patients of the Otolaryngology Clinic of Targu Mures County Emergency Clinical Hospital that underwent total laryngectomy. We adapted and implemented the questionnaire for Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences after Laryngectomy – SECEL. Three groups of patients were created: the first containing those with voice prosthesis, the second those using electrolarynx and esophageal voice, and the third with no rehabilitation. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test for the statistical analysis of the results.
RESULTS. The mean age of the patients included in our study group was 63 years (+/− 7.56 SD). 95.83% of the participants were male. 79.16% were married. The majority (87.50%) of patients were retired. In 75% of cases, 0 to 5 years have passed since the surgery. 75% reported diminished communication after surgery. The test used to determine if significant differences were present between the examined groups showed a p-value of 0.1329 (total scores), p-value of 0.3244 (the first score of SECEL), p-value = 0.6004 (the second score of SECEL) and a p-value of 0.0613 (the third score of SECEL). Given that p was higher than 0.05, the null hypotheses could not be rejected. The patients who underwent rehabilitation by tracheoesophageal prosthesis showed the best results in all tested categories.
CONCLUSION. The SECEL questionnaire adapted in Romanian language could be used as a valid screening instrument in order to improve voice rehabilitation, but it needs further testing.

The influence of vocal rehabilitation methods on communication in patients with total laryngectomy

“George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology

Romanian Journal of Rhinology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

BACKGROUND. Considering the problematic social integration after total laryngectomy, evaluation of communicational aptitudes of patients after the surgical...

The influence of vocal rehabilitation methods on communication in patients with total laryngectomy

Published Online: Jul 31, 2021

Page range: 118 - 124

Received: Apr 13, 2021

Accepted: May 24, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjr-2021-0020

Keywords
total laryngectomy, communication, voice rehabilitation, voice prosthesis, questionnaire

© 2021 Beáta Kiss et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The influence of vocal rehabilitation methods on communication in patients with total laryngectomy

Published Online: Jul 31, 2021

Page range: 118 - 124

Received: Apr 13, 2021

Accepted: May 24, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjr-2021-0020

Keywordstotal laryngectomy, communication, voice rehabilitation, voice prosthesis, questionnaire

© 2021 Beáta Kiss et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
total laryngectomy, communication, voice rehabilitation, voice prosthesis, questionnaire