[The relationship between the presence of Candida colonization in the oropharynx and on the Blom-Singer voice prosthesis and its effect on the length of prosthesis use].

OBJECTIVES We investigated the effect of oropharyngeal Candida colonization on the contamination of the Blom-Singer voice prosthesis and its lifetime. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included 26 male laryngectomized patients (age range 45 to 76 years) in whom the Blom-Singer low-pressure prosthetic valve inserted required removal due to improper functioning. All patients had postoperative radiotherapy. Patients who had nystatin therapy were excluded. At the time of removal, cultures were obtained from the esophageal end of the prosthesis and from the oropharynx to be examined with regard to Candida growth. RESULTS Candida colonization was recovered from the cultures obtained on 20 prostheses (77%) and from 14 oropharyngeal specimens (54%). The presence of oropharyngeal colonization was always associated with that on prostheses. The average lengths of prosthesis use were 5.7 months (range 4 to 9 months) and 6.2 months (range 3 to 10 months) in patients with and without positive oropharyngeal Candida colonization, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSION The results suggest that the presence of oropharyngeal Candida colonization has no effect on the prosthesis lifetime.