Amplitude and speed of masticatory movements in total laryngectomy patients

Introdution: Laryngectomy is a surgical procedure that aims to remove the hyoid bone and the larynx and its muscles; it is inferred that a destabilization of the hyoid-mandibular axis will occur, consequently changing chewing. Objective: To characterize the amplitude and speed of chewing in laryngectomies and to compare them with two groups of non-laryngectomized individuals differentiated by age. Method: 72 volunteers were divided into three groups: (A) 32 volunteers, mean age 22.3 years, 17 females; (B) 20 volunteers, mean age 53.2 years, 10 females, and (C) 20 volunteers who underwent total laryngectomy, mean age 61.5 years, one female. Electrognathography, a method that tracks and measures millimeter jaw movements, was used for evaluation. Results: Significant diferences were observed between groups A and C in masticatory amplitude and speed. Conlcusion: Age, and adaptive and compensatory changes appear to explain chewing better than factors related to total laryngectomy.

引言：喉切除术是一种旨在切除舌骨、喉及其附属肌肉的外科手术，据推测该手术会导致舌骨-下颌轴失稳，进而改变咀嚼功能。研究目的：表征喉切除术后患者的咀嚼幅度与速度，并将其与两个按年龄划分的未接受喉切除术的群体进行对比。研究方法：本研究共纳入72名志愿者，分为三组：A组32名，平均年龄22.3岁，女性17名；B组20名，平均年龄53.2岁，女性10名；C组20名均接受全喉切除术，平均年龄61.5岁，女性1名。本研究采用颌运动电图（Electrognathography）——一种可追踪并测量颌部毫米级运动幅度的评估方法——开展评估。研究结果：观察到A组与C组在咀嚼幅度与速度上存在显著差异。结论：相较于与全喉切除术相关的因素，年龄以及适应性与代偿性变化似乎能更好地解释咀嚼功能的变化。