OBJECTIVE To assess long-term results with consistent use of indwelling voice prostheses (Provox; Atos Medical AB, Hörby, Sweden) for vocal rehabilitation after total laryngectomy. DESIGN Retrospective clinical analysis. SETTING Comprehensive national cancer center. PATIENTS Three hundred eighteen patients (261 men and 57 women; mean age, 62 years) from November 1988, through May 1999. ...

Background: rehabilitation of individuals with total laryngectomy. Aim: to correlate the voice and speech proficiency of individuals with total laryngectomy, users of tracheoesophageal, prosthesis with the intraluminal pharyngoesophageal transition pressure at rest and during phonation. Method: twelve individuals with total laryngectomy and with tracheoesophageal voice, users of speech prosthes...

Laryngopharyngeal malignancy is treated with radiotherapy and/or surgery. When total laryngectomy is required, major laryngeal functions (phonation, airway control, swallowing and coughing) are affected. The insertion of a silicone rubber voice prosthesis in a surgically created tracheoesophageal puncture is the most effective method for voice rehabilitation. Silicone, as is the case with other...

OBJECTIVE This study investigates the effect of regular airflow, as an isolated single factor, through Groningen and Provox2 voice prostheses on biofilm formation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Groningen and Provox2 voice prostheses were placed in a modified Robbins device and inoculated with the total microflora from an explanted Groningen voice prosthesis. After 3 days, prostheses were either flushe...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to determine the rates of nasalance for total laryngectomized users of a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis and correlate them with the findings of auditory-perceptual assessment of nasality. METHODS In this study, 25 total laryngectomized users, including 20 men and five women, with a mean age of 63 years old participated. All the participants had a...

BACKGROUND A newly developed artificial voice source was clinically evaluated in laryngectomized women for voice quality improvements. The prosthesis was placed in a commercially available, tracheoesophageal shunt valve. METHODS In 17 subjects, voice-producing element (VPE) prototypes were compared with the subject's regular tracheo-esophageal shunt voice in a randomized cross-over trial. The...