The fundamental objective in restoring a defect created after total laryngectomy with a custom made silicone prosthesis is to enable the patient to cope better with the difficult process of rehabilitation after a major surgery has been performed. A cosmetically acceptable prosthesis that reproduces the color and form and allows the patient to return to his/her accustomed lifestyle. A sequence o...

BACKGROUND Different modalities of treatment in early laryngeal cancer lead to equivalent oncological outcomes. Hence this systematic review was undertaken to synthesise the key oncological outcomes following primary open partial laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer. METHODS A systematic review of the English literature with statistical pooling of outcomes, the main outcome measure being local c...

BACKGROUND We conducted this longitudinal prospective study to illustrate a surgical technique for swallowing rehabilitation of patients after partial laryngectomy. METHODS Nine patients with persistent swallowing impairment after partial laryngectomy were included in the study. Evaluation of swallowing was performed by fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), and was quantified...

BACKGROUND Laryngeal cancer management should pursue function-sparing therapeutic options. Even though demolitive surgery provides better control of disease at intermediate to advanced stages when compared to chemoradiotherapy, it does not preserve laryngeal function. Supratracheal partial laryngectomy has been described as a function-sparing surgical technique for laryngeal cancer with subglot...

For patients with laryngeal cancer, rehabilitation following laryngectomy may be difficult. However, significant variability in coping skills and adaptation of this patient population exists. Healthcare providers commonly perceive disfigurement, alteration in function (i.e., loss of natural voice), and disease control as the most relevant issues in the postoperative period, yet patients and the...

BACKGROUND Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) is a common and challenging complication of laryngectomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of endoscopic repair of postlaryngectomy PCF. METHODS Five patients who underwent salvage laryngectomy complicated by PCF underwent endoscopic repair at a regional medical center between 2006 and 2013. Data were compiled through a manual ch...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to report the incidence of postoperative complications for partial laryngectomy and to identify patient- and tumor-related factors predictive of postoperative complications. METHODS A total of 150 patients who had a partial laryngectomy were identified from an existing database of 662 patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx from 19...

AIMS The purpose of this paper was to investigate the impact of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection in the aetiology of pharyngo-cutaneous fistula (PCF) formation following total laryngectomy for advanced laryngeal cancer. METHODS This was a retrospective uncontrolled case study series of 31 consecutive patients based in a single institution tertiary referral head and...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess the factors influencing swallowing and phonatory results after partial laryngectomy. METHODS We carried out a medical chart review of patients who underwent partial laryngectomies between June 2003 and November 2010, focusing on functional outcomes. RESULTS Thirty-two patients were enrolled. No statistically significant difference was found...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of the pectoralis major muscle flap (PMMF) in the prevention of pharyngocutaneous fistula for total laryngectomy after radiotherapy (RT) METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 166 patients who underwent a total laryngectomy after RT between 1998 and 2012 at the CHU de Québec. RESULTS One hundred fifteen patients underwent...