After tongue removal (glossectomy), patients experience significant challenges with speech and swallowing, requiring intensive rehabilitation with speech-language pathologists and dietitians to relearn these functions, often using feeding tubes initially and adapting to liquids/soft foods, with recovery varying greatly depending on how much of the tongue was removed, but improvements in function usually occur over time with therapy. Immediate concerns include pain, swelling, infection, bleeding, and potential airway issues, while long-term, the main impacts are altered taste, dry mouth, and communication difficulties.
People who have a total glossectomy may lose swallowing function. Your provider can tell you what to expect in your situation. You'll still need to work with a speech and language pathologist following your glossectomy.
Your tongue is an important muscle for speech. Surgery to your tongue will affect how your speech sounds. This may make it difficult for you to make yourself understood. The degree of difficulty will depend on how much of your tongue has been removed.
Some sounds are made using your lips, so you may be able to make sounds such as b, m, p, w after a glossectomy. When part of the tongue is removed, it can be hard to speak and be understood by others. The Speech-Language Pathologist will assess your ability to speak clearly.
In severe cases where the tongue is completely absent, affected individuals may experience challenges with feeding, swallowing, speech, and oral hygiene maintenance. Additionally, the absence of the tongue can lead to aesthetic concerns and psychological impacts, greatly affecting self-esteem and social interactions.
If you had a small amount of tongue removed, you may be able to eat by mouth. However, if you had a large amount of tongue removed, you will not be able to eat anything through your mouth right after surgery. Instead, you will have a gastrostomy feeding tube.
People may experience reduced quality of life immediately after the procedure. However, they can expect to return to their previous quality of life within a year. Some people may experience complications or problems after tongue cancer surgery. In these cases, they should contact their doctor immediately.
The tongue does not regenerate fully after glossectomy, as it is not capable of complete regeneration like some other body tissues. However, the remaining portions of the tongue can adapt and compensate for lost function to some extent.
The human body is fascinating. It turns out that some people born without their tongue were able to learn how to speak with speech training. However, for the rest of us, we cannot neglect the importance of our tongue when we speak.
The most common problems reported in literature are loss of ability of verbal communication [2, 4], dysphagia when consuming specific foods or [5, 6], anosmia or hyposmia [4], problems related to permanent tracheostoma such as chronic cough, dyspnoea, increased secretions, frequent airway infections [2, 4, 7], sexual ...
Patients with more than half the tongue base remaining had good taste sensation, whereas those with less than one-third residual tissue had impaired taste function.
A completely new, natural tongue cannot be replaced. However, surgeons can reconstruct the tongue using tissue from other body parts, like the forearm or thigh. This helps restore shape and function.
What About the Cloverleaf Tongue? If you can twist your tongue into a cloverleaf, you are gifted. It is one of the rarest tricks. According to a study published in the journal Dysphagia, 83.7% of the population could roll their tongue.
Glossectomy is a surgical procedure commonly performed to remove malignant and precancerous lesions in the oral cavity. Other indications for glossectomy include excisional or incisional biopsy of tongue lesions of uncertain origin, benign tumors of the tongue, obstructive sleep apnea, and macroglossia.
Does a midline glossectomy hurt? Typically as a stand-alone procedure, there is some discomfort associated with a midline glossectomy. However, a midline glossectomy is not as uncomfortable as removal of the tonsils and soft palate.
The tongue prosthesis can be fabricated for two purposes. The typical prosthetic tongue for speech is flat with a wider anterior elevation. It aids in the articulation of various sounds. The prosthetic tongue for swallowing has a trough in its posterior slope.
Possible Glossectomy Side Effects
It would be quicker to list sounds a person without a tongue could make:
Tongue transplantation is emerging as a novel reconstructive option aimed at restoring critical functions—such as articulation, swallowing, and taste—in patients with extensive tongue defects due to squamous cell carcinoma or trauma.
Due to the pain and difficulty swallowing, you will likely only be able to tolerate a liquid/soft diet (Ensure, Smoothies...) for the first few days after surgery. Make sure you have a good intake of fluids and avoid dehydration.
Total glossectomy with laryngectomy (TGL) has substantial negative effects on oral functionality. Overall 5-year survival is low, ranging between 25 and 30% [2]. In a case series from our institution, over 50% of patients died within two years after surgery [1].
The tongue is mainly composed of muscles. It is covered with a mucous membrane. Small nodules of tissue, called papillae, cover the upper surface of the tongue. Between the papillae are the taste buds, which provide the sense of taste.
It's more of a passageway than a tongue like I had before, but it has some feeling to it. I can taste fairly well because there are taste buds all over your mouth, not just on your tongue. A lot of taste is through smell and mine must be excellent, because I still taste and enjoy food.
Try to avoid very hot drinks for the first 24 hours after your surgery. An intact clot is vital for healing. Eating firm foods too soon can disturb the clot. Avoid vigorous exercise (for example running, swimming) for 24 hours.
Healthy cells that are damaged during radiation treatment usually recover within a few months after treatment is over. But sometimes people may have side effects that do not improve. Other side effects may show up months or years after radiation therapy is over. These are called late effects.