Pre-operative speech-language pathology counselling in patients undergoing total laryngectomy: A pilot randomized clinical trial

Total Laryngectomy seriously affects on patients Quality of Life and on their psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to verify the effects of pre-operative Speech-Language Pathology counselling on laryngectomized patients. Pilot randomized controlled trial. Twenty-seven patients undergoing total laryngectomy and primary tracheoesophageal puncture were randomized as follows: 14/27 subjects were collocated in the Experimental group who received preoperative Speech-Language Pathology counselling and 13/27 in the Control group group that did not receive it. Two interviews and four questionnaires (Psychological Distress Inventory, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Italian-Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences after Laryngeal Cancer) were administered immediately after surgery (T0), 1- (T1) and 3-months (T2) after hospital discharge in order to asses levels of distress, post-traumatic stress and anxious-depressive symptoms, acquisition and acceptance of the new voice. Student’s t test and chi square test showed that the two groups of patients were equivalent. Experimental group was more satisfied with the information and obtained statistically better (p < 0.05) scores in terms of levels of distress, post-traumatic stress, anxious-depressive symptoms and acceptance of the new voice than the Control group. The Speech-Language Pathology counselling may reduce the anguish, sadness and anticipatory anxiety deriving from the uncertainty of the post-operative course and it might facilitate the process of emotional adaptation, making patients more capable and prepared to face their new condition.