根據科學家的說法，對術前和術后舌頭外形和體積的研究有助于外科醫生制定計劃，將由于癌癥導致的舌頭缺陷的重建達到最佳效果。

加拿大Toronto大學的外科醫生是最早使用三維超聲評估正常以及部分切除舌頭后對說話影響的研究人員。通過對10位正常受試者正常發音時候舌頭表面三維形狀進行評估，研究人員描繪出舌頭正常工作時候的基本過程。這些超聲資料做為那些部分切除舌頭患者進行比較的基礎。這項研究獲得了加拿大健康研究院的資金資助，發表在2005年1月-2月期的《臨床語言和語音學期刊》。

Toronto大學語言病理學科教授Tim Bressmann博士說：“我們利用正常說話者的數據來制作"Joe Canadian"舌頭模型。這是邁向評估不同重建技術對說話時候舌頭運動的生物機械影響的第一步?，F在我們努力確定對不同的病變部位以及程度而言什么是理想的重建方法，這樣我們就可以確保每一位患者的最佳說話效果?！?/P>

這些研究人員正在從更多的舌癌患者收集超聲資料，為進行部分舌切除手術的外科醫生建立數據庫。Bressmann醫生說：“舌癌生存率在70％～80％之間。因此，外科醫生需要完成一項完美的工作，因為接受重建手術的患者通常會生存很長很長時間?！?BR> 
3D Ultrasound Shows Speech Effects After Tongue Surgery
 
New research regarding tongue shape and volume before and after surgery should help surgeons plan how best to reconstruct defects of the tongue resulting from cancer, according to scientists.

Surgeons at the University of Toronto (Canada) are the first investigators to use three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound to evaluate both normal and partially resected tongues during speech. By assessing the 3D topography of the tongue’s surface as each of 10 normal speakers made a host of sounds, the researchers were able to describe the basic processes underlying the normal workings of a tongue. This ultrasound data became the baseline to which partially resected tongues were compared. The study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, was published in the January-February 2005 issue of the journal Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics.

“We used the data from the normal speakers to model a prototypical ‘Joe Canadian’ tongue,” reported Dr. Tim Bressmann, a professor in the department of speech-language pathology at the University of Toronto. “This is a first step toward assessing the biomechanical impact of different reconstructive techniques on tongue movement for speech. Now, we can work toward determining what the ideal method of reconstruction is for different lesion locations and extents, so that we can ensure optimum speech outcomes for every patient.”

The investigators are now gathering ultrasound findings from more tongue cancer patients to device a database for surgeons who perform partial tongue resection surgeries. “The survival rate in tongue cancer is 70 to 80%,” stated Dr. Bressmann. “Therefore, surgeons need to do a very good job because people will often live with their reconstructions for a long, long time.”