Departments

Paramedical Departments

Logopedics

Mission

The main objective of speech therapy is to maintain or to restore verbal communication (oral or written) and swallowing in order to preserve a satisfactory quality of life. ( Logopaedics) Speech Therapist plays also an important role in the preoperative evaluation and informative program concerning voice, articulation, swallowing, taste, smell and salivation.

 

The Speech Therapist works within a multidisciplinary team (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists, etc,…).

 

CHEC-UP AND MANAGEMENT OF TROUBLES REGARDING :

Communication	Speech troubles: - aphasia (due to a brain tumor, a stroke, etc…) - dysarthria - troubles following a surgery or radiotherapy treatment   Voice troubles: - dysphonia (organic : lesions of the larynx or of the vocal functional folds ) and tracheotomy - laryngectomy
Swallowing	- dysphagia in adults (videofluorography for swallowing) - atypical swallowing in children ( infantile swallowing, orthodontia)
Preoperative information of the patient on request of surgeons.	Total Laryngectomy : - preoperative information on the anatomy and physiology of the phonation and swallowing such as they will be after the surgery. - postoperative recovery of hospitalised patients and ambulatory cares -“equipment” of the patients (nozzle, adhesives, filters for humidification,… in partnership with the Pharmacy of the institute… Institute Bordet's Pharmacy) and information on the daily care. - apprenticeship of a new voice : tracheo-oesophageal voice (phonatory prosthesis) and/or oesophageal voice (without phonatory prosthesis) - collaboration with the French-speaking Association of the Voice Disabled of Belgium. - management of the phonation and swallowing in case of tracheotomy (nozzle that allows phonation)   Videofluorography for swallowing When swallowing of substances or liquids is disturbed, videofluorography allows to evaluate the degree of the dysphagia and to determine the seriousness of the disease in order to orient the patient to the most appropriate treatment (medicinal and/or speech treatment and/or dietetic and or surgical, etc…). A speech therapist is present during the examination. In case of surgical intervention, speech re-education takes into account operative techniques, specific functional side effects as well as the physical and psychological condition of the patient. The advantages of the several speech re-education processes on swallowing and phonation will be compared in function of every type of surgery and of surgical reconstruction in the cervical-facial region.

 

Updating of this page : 11/2010