Önal İnCebay

To investigate whether there is a difference in olfactory functions among individuals who use different voice restoration methods after total laryngectomy. The study group for this research comprised individuals who had undergone total laryngectomy and aged 44 to 75 years; 10 participants using oesophageal speech, 10 participants using tracheoesophageal speech, and 10 participants using electrolarynx were included. The control group comprised 10 individuals with normal olfactory function of similar age and gender to the individuals in the study group. The participants' olfactory functions were evaluated using the Sniffin Sticks Extended Test. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - H&N-35 was used as a subjective scale. All laryngectomised patients exhibited olfactory impairment, with 73.3% diagnosed with anosmia and 26.7% with hyposmia. Regarding Sniffin Sticks Test combined scores; the mean values of voice prosthesis users, electrolarynx and oesophageal speech group were 8.4, 10.1 and 21.6 respectively, while in the control group it was 38.2. In terms of Sniffin Sticks Test composite scores, the oesophageal speech group had significantly higher scores than the voice prosthesis and electrolarynx groups (p < 0.001). While all laryngectomised patients showed olfactory dysfunction, those using oesophageal speech - a somewhat overlooked rehabilitation method - exhibited statistically significant preservation of olfactory function compared to other voice restoration techniques. These findings suggest that oesophageal speech may offer distinct advantages for maintaining post-laryngectomy olfactory capacity, warranting further consideration in clinical practise.

This study aims to compare the types and rates of vocal pathology and the levels of voice-related handicap between Islamic clergy and other professional voice users in Türkiye. The study design was retrospective and included 97 level 2 professional voice users aged 18–65 years who consulted the clinic with complaints of voice disorders. We examined demographic data, vocal complaints, vocal fold pathologies, smoking habits, reflux complaints, and Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) scores of the participants who met the inclusion criteria. Of these participants, 55 were Islamic clergy and 42 were other level 2 voice professionals, including teachers, call center workers, and receptionists. Age and smoking status did not differ significantly between the groups; however, Islamic clergy reported more reflux complaints. While muscle tension dysphonia was the most common pathology in Group 1 (Islamic clergy), vocal fold nodules were the most common in Group 2 (teachers, call center workers, and receptionists). Islamic clergy exhibited significantly higher VHI-10 scores compared to other level 2 professional voice users, suggesting more severe voice problems with a greater negative impact on clergy daily functioning. The findings suggest that Islamic clergy with voice disorders perceive a higher level of voice handicap, possibly due to their unique patterns of occupational voice use (e.g., mosque music) and the emotional, occupational, and financial consequences of impaired vocal performance in this population.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the symptomatic swallowing complaints in individuals with total laryngectomy (TL) and reveal how swallowing kinematics differs between those with and without symptomatic dysphagia complaints.Methods: A total of 34 subjects with TL were included in the study. Swallowing kinematics of those with symptomatic swallowing complaints (Group 1) were compared to those without (Group 2). Kinematic parameters including pharyngeal transit duration (PTD), maximum pharyngeal constriction ratio (MPCR), upper esophageal sphincter opening ratio (UESOR), upper esophageal sphincter opening duration (UESOD), and bolus clearance ratio (BCR) were investigated from Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) records via ImageJ software.Results: Symptomatic swallowing complaints were determined in 47.1% of the subjects (n = 16). Difficulty while swallowing solid foods and pills, diminished pleasure of eating, food getting stuck in the throat, and increased level of stress during swallowing were among the major swallowing complaints in the present cohort. PTD, MPCR, and BCR parameters were significantly higher in subjects with symptomatic swallowing complaints than those without.Conclusion: These preliminary findings indicate that almost half of individuals with TL may have symptomatic swallowing complaints. The underlying pathophysiology of this phenomenon may be the devianced kinematic parameters including PTD, MPCR, and BCR in this population. Therefore, it is recommended to include the kinematic measurements in the dysphagia evaluation protocol in individuals with TL, most notably in those with symptomatic swallowing complaints.Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 135:809–817, 2025

Objectives: People with aphasia (PWA) have naming problems. During naming activities, they produce paraphasias. However, there is no significant association between paraphasia and aphasia types. This study aimed to identify the relationship between paraphasia and aphasia type, as well as the effect of cueing on naming performance. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 37 Turkish PWA who were divided into two groups: fluent and non-fluent aphasia. Participants were presented with 40 pictures and asked to name them. Cues were given in case they did not answer correctly. The participants' answers, the types of paraphasias, and how they responded to the cues were all recorded. Results: Participants in both groups significantly increased their naming performance for all words when cues were given. A total of 181 paraphasias were observed in the fluent aphasia group: Phonemic paraphasias were the most common (41.4%), followed by semantic paraphasias with 32.1%. There were 270 paraphasias in the non-fluent aphasia group, with phonemic paraphasia being the most common (60.7%). Conclusion: Phonemic and neologistic paraphasias were significantly higher in the non-fluent group. Phonemic and neologistic paraphasia is more common in those with non-fluent aphasia. This study found that the cueing method had a favourable influence on PWAs' naming performance, which is consistent with prior research.