1990 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Tongue Movement.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	63570942
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	外科・放射線系歯学
Research Institution	Showa university
Principal Investigator	AKIZUKI Hiromichi Showa University Assistant Prof., 歯学部, 講師 (40129804)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	TASHORO Tunehisa Showa University Assistant, 歯学部, 助手 (70188233) MICHIWAKI Yukihiro Showa University Assistant Prof., 歯学部, 講師 (40157540)
Project Period (FY)	1988 – 1990
Keywords	Ultrasonography / Glossectomy / Speech disorder
Research Abstract	Tongue movement of articulation was analyzed with ultrasonography on 11 glossectomies (4 underwent direct suture, 2 received split-skin grafts and 5 received reconstruction with free forearm flap). This study have used a transducer placed submentally, with the beam aimed cephalad toward the tongue. The motion of tongue was clearly described with this application. The amount and the symmetricalness of tongue movement were evaluated in the ultrasonogram and compared with speech intelligibility. As a result, tongue movement of the glossectomy were smaller in amount and poorer in the symmetricalness than normal. Speech intelligibility is related to the amount and symmetricalness in most of the patients. Especially the symmetricalness influenced speech intelligibility in the rear portion of the tongue.

(2 results)