title: Intraluminal esophageal pressures in speaking laryngectomees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the present study was to evaluate intraluminal esophageal pressure during voice and speech emission in speaking laryngectomees with a tracheoesophageal prosthesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In our prospective analysis in a tertiary-care academic hospital, 25 laryngectomees were divided into 2 groups: 11 speaking individuals with a tracheoesophageal prosthesis and a control group of 14 nonspeaking laryngectomees. All patients were subjected to manometry during voice and speech emission tests. We determined the pressures achieved in the distal, middle, and proximal parts of the esophagus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analysis revealed that the amplitude of pressure in the distal esophagus during sound emission was higher in speaking laryngectomees; in the middle esophagus, intraluminal pressure during emission of the sentence was higher in speaking subjects, and in the proximal esophagus there was no difference between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During the manometric evaluation of the distal and middle esophagus in the presence of voice and speech emission, the intraluminal pressure revealed a significant difference for the speaking laryngectomees with a tracheoesophageal prosthesis. The proximal esophagus behaved similarly in the groups of speakers and nonspeakers. Speaking laryngectomees with a tracheoesophageal prosthesis depend on a differentiated performance of the middle and distal parts of the esophagus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lílian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aguiar-Ricz
authors.forename: Hilton
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ricz
authors.forename: Francisco Veríssimo
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: de Mello-Filho
authors.forename: Gleici Castro
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Perdoná
authors.forename: Roberto Oliveira
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Dantas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004947:Esophagus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007825:Laryngectomy; D007831:Larynx, Artificial; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D013071:Speech, Alaryngeal