Effects of lingual gestures on blood flow into the tongue: A pilot study

Background. Reduced bloodflow has been hypothesized to be a major factor in the formation of postradiation fibrosis. This study examined Doppler ultra sonography as a technique to detect changes in blood flow into the tongue d uring selected lingual gestures, /t/ and /k/. Methods. Six normal subjects. three young men (mean age, 26 years) and thre e older men (mean age, 66 years) were examined in an upright position using Doppler ultrasound imaging of the external carotid artery just below the l ingual artery. Measurements were made with a standardized segmentation tech nique before and after three repetitions of four speech production gestures /t/ and /k/, each with natural and maximal force. Results. Blood flow peak systole increased significantly after the speech g estures (p < .001). Pooled before and after gesture values for older subjec ts were significantly lower than those for younger subjects (p less than or equal to .05). Conclusions. Ultrasonography is a clinically useful technique for measuring blood flow during a dynamic gesture and may be useful for measuring effect s of tumor treatment and in a lingual exercise program. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.