Fig. 3

Latency of the swallowing reflex before and 3 months after surgery or chemoradiation. Asterisks indicate significant differences between before and after treatment. The error bars indicate standard deviation. a Comparison of the latency time of the swallowing reflex between before and 3 months after surgery (n = 23) or chemoradiation (n = 22, p < 0.05, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). b Comparison of the percentage of patients with a delayed swallowing reflex between before and 3 months after surgery or chemoradiation (p < 0.05, Fisher’s exact test). Time over 3 s was defined as a delayed swallowing reflex