ABSTRACT
The inability to communicate or eat normally are two of the most disturbing outcomes of head and neck, brain, and skull base tumors (1). Both communication and swallowing are complex processes that require a highly specific interplay between the efferent signals from the cortex, subcortex, and brainstem and the afferent signals from the structures of the aerodigestive tract, including the pharynx, larynx, and oral cavity. Skull base tumors, regardless of the site of the lesion or its pathology, put patients at risk for the development of a variety of communication and/or swallowing deficits. Despite lower morbidity and mortality rates resulting from recent advances in the medical treatment of skull base tumors, the frequency and severity of residual deficits in both communication and alimentation have changed little (2). As a result, many of these patients, although cured of their disease, become social recluses because of their functional disabilities.
