Functional outcome of supracricoid partial laryngectomy with cricohyoidopexy: radiation failure vs previously untreated cases.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the postoperative course and functional outcomes achieved in patients treated with supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SPL) with cricohyoidopexy. DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING National Cancer Institute "Regina Elena." PATIENTS Eighty-two consecutive patients who underwent SPL with cricohyoidopexy between September 1, 1988, and June 30, 2005, were evaluated. The patient cohort was divided into 2 groups: one affected by untreated laryngeal cancer and the other with laryngeal recurrence after radiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The postoperative complications and functional outcomes of both patient groups were evaluated and statistically compared. RESULTS No statistical differences were found between the functional results of the 2 groups of patients analyzed. CONCLUSION Although a slightly delayed recovery of physiological functions of the larynx could be termed a disadvantage of SCL with cricohyoidopexy after radiotherapy, this operation is a reliable and useful procedure for selected patients with recurrent cancer who would otherwise have been operated on and received a total laryngectomy.