The Impact of Speech Therapy on Patients with Parkinson after Surgery: A Letter to the Editor

Document Type : Letter to Editor

Authors
Amir Soflo 1
Ardalan Safaie 1
Leila Ghasisin 2
1 MSc Student, Student Research Committee AND Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Musculoskeletal Research Center AND Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
10.48305/jrrs.2026.46056.1130
Abstract
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Implant Surgery is one of the new methods for addressing the complications and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's patients undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery often experience a reduction in motor symptoms; however, non-dopaminergic issues, such as speech disorders, frequently remain. These include reduced vocal intensity, monotonous speech, and decreased intelligibility of speech . These disorders can sometimes worsen after DBS and directly impact daily communication, social participation, and the patient’s quality of life . While speech and language rehabilitation could play an important role in improving these issues, the scope of speech therapy intervention following DBS has not been comprehensively explored in clinical studies.Given the increasing prevalence of DBS surgery in the country and the expanding access of Parkinson's patients to this method, it is crucial to conduct domestic studies on the effectiveness of speech therapy interventions after DBS. Organizing training workshops, developing clinical guidelines, and fostering collaboration among neurologists, surgeons, and speech-language pathologists could be an important step in improving the quality of healthcare services and enhancing the speech outcomes for these patients.

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