title: Nasalance and nasality of tracheoesophageal speech in total laryngectomee.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine the rates of nasalance for total laryngectomized users of a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis and correlate them with the findings of auditory-perceptual assessment of nasality.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 25 total laryngectomized users, including 20 men and five women, with a mean age of 63 years old participated. All the participants had a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis and underwent treatment for the rehabilitation of tracheoesophageal communication. These patients were submitted to nasalance assessment using nasometry and auditory-perceptual evaluation of nasality and were rated by trained speech therapists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The nasalance values obtained for nasal (59.92%) and oral (18.64%) sentences were within the normal limits for laryngeal speakers of Brazilian Portuguese language. It was possible to observe the presence of nasality in nasal sentences and its absence in oral sentences among most speakers. Specificity was found to be 100% for nasal sentences and sensitivity was 100% for oral sentences. It was not possible to calculate these values for the oral sentences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total laryngectomized patients with tracheoesophageal voice prostheses have adequate vocal nasality compatible with nasometry rates.
authors.forename: Adriana Pereira Defina
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Iqueda
authors.forename: Hilton
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ricz
authors.forename: Telma Kioko
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Nathália dos
authors.initials: Nd
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Lílian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aguiar-Ricz
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013071:Speech, Alaryngeal