The tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis (TEP) has seen wide success in thousands of patients who lost their ability to speak after a total laryngectomy. The device is small, sterile, and is operated by blocking the stoma to redirect air into the esophagus, allowing discernible speech. However, the physical blocking of the stoma can eventually become inconvenient for frequent speakers and perhaps...

In total laryngectomies the impairment of pulmonary function reflects the sum of pre- and post-operative ventilatory changes. Objective information on the respiratory condition in laryngectomees, as assessed in the pulmonary function laboratory is somewhat limited, perhaps because of difficulties related to methodology. The aim of our study was to evaluate the reproducibility of a method employ...

The aim of this study was to compare the respective value of videofluoroscopy and ultrasound for assessment of the tonicity of the neoglottis and determination of the exact neolaryngeal segment of hypertonicity. We examined twelve patients who had developed inadequate tracheoesophageal voice following total laryngectomy and installation of tracheoesophageal prosthesis. We assumed that the cause...

Drs. Mark Singer and Eric Blom revolutionized the process of speech rehabilitation following total laryngectomy with their introduction of the tracheoesophageal puncture and insertion of a duck bill prosthesis.[1-5] The physiologic principles of the procedure are obvious, the surgical technique is simple, and the results in terms of fluent speech production are immediate and quite satisfactory....

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess the tolerance of early oral feeding after total laryngectomy. METHOD A randomized multicenter study was conducted that included 89 individuals subjected to total laryngectomy. The participants were allocated to 2 groups: early (n = 44), early oral feeding; and late (n = 45), late oral feeding. The participants in the early group were assessed...

Patients who have undergone a total laryngectomy have altered anatomy and physiology. This results in unique and specific issues that must be recognized in order to ensure that this group of patients experience appropriate care. This article looks at the current literature and attempts to highlight specific areas of concern, so that emergency care providers can deliver an equally high standard ...

For decades, the standard of care for radiation treatment of early larynx cancers has been conventional treatment using opposed lateral fields encompassing the larynx and overlying neck structures, including the adjacent carotid arteries. The relative simplicity of the 3D technique and the excellent outcomes were shown in several series [1-4]. The ultimate local control is even higher if we tak...

Nowadays, open partial horizontal laryngectomies (OPHLs) are well-established procedures for treatment of laryngeal cancer. Their uniqueness is the possibility to modulate the intervention intraoperatively, according to eventual tumour extension. An OPHL procedure is not easy to understand: there are several types of procedures and the possibility to modulate the intervention can produce confus...

Tracheo-oesophageal voice prostheses are currently widely used following total laryngectomy. Data on maximum phonation time and spectrum have been studied by various Authors and are well known. On the contrary, intensity and fundamental frequency control have received little attention. Intensity and fundamental frequency play an important role in the prosodic aspects of speech. Fundamental freq...