The aim of the rehabilitation in laryngectomized patients is to produce phonatory communication. It is important to choose the optimal method of rehabilitation. Most of the patients use the oesophageal or pharyngeal speech as an effect of natural rehabilitation with vocalistic method. Another group of larygectomized patients is rehabilitated with surgical method which leads to shunt speech. THE AIM OF STUDY was to compare the quality of oesophageal and shunt speech with euphonic voice to choose the optimal method of rehabilitation in laryngectomized patients.
Material and methods: The quality of vicarious phonation was examined in 30 patients with shunt speech and in 20 patients with oesophageal speech. Examination results of the subjective, objective and acoustic assessment were compared with values registered in physiological (euphonic) speech. The results of objective assessment were statistically analysed.
Results: The shunt and oesophageal speech enabled effective verbal communication of laryngectomized patients. The parameters of clinical subjective and objective assessment of shunt speech pointed to its high quality which is similar to physiological phonation.
Conclusions: The acoustic analysis of voice confirmed the results of subjective and objective assessment of quality of shunt voice and speech in laryngectomized patients. In conclusion, the surgical rehabilitation of voice after total laryngectomy gave patients the great opportunity for a remarkable improvement in vicarious phonation.