Tongue pressure and self-assessment of swallowing after total laryngectomy.
Natália Carminati, Gracielle Dos Santos David, Mariana Pinheiro Brendim
PMID 40172378WHAT IT FOUND
Laryngectomy patients had higher tongue dorsum pressure than controls, but no difference in tongue tip pressure.
Tongue pressure did not correlate with self-reported swallowing symptoms. Patients most commonly reported needing liquids to help food go down and difficulty with dry foods.
Key findings
01Tongue dorsum pressure was significantly higher in the laryngectomy group (41.2 kPa) compared to controls (27.9 kPa), while tongue tip pressure showed no significant difference.
02There was no statistically significant correlation between tongue pressure measurements and self-assessment of swallowing scores in the laryngectomy group.
03The most frequent self-reported swallowing symptoms were needing to drink liquids to help food go down, difficulty swallowing hard or dry foods, and a sensation of food getting stuck.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (13 per group) may have led to Type II errors, particularly in the null findings for tongue tip pressure and correlations. The study did not account for specific surgical closure techniques, which can alter swallowing biomechanics. Participants had undergone speech therapy, which may have reduced symptoms and altered pressure patterns compared to untreated populations.
Declared interests
Nothing to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high tongue dorsum pressure indicates poor swallowing function or that low pressure indicates good function. The study found no correlation between tongue pressure and self-assessed swallowing symptoms, suggesting pressure is likely a compensatory mechanism rather than a direct measure of swallow efficacy.