title: Speech rehabilitation and complications of primary tracheoesophageal puncture.
abstract: Fifty-nine patients underwent tracheoesophageal puncture during laryngectomy, and a voice prosthesis was inserted into the tracheoesophageal fistula to enable alaryngeal speech. For 68% of the 59 patients, tracheoesophageal speech was feasible right after surgery, and postoperative complications occurred in 9 of these 59. The results show that primary tracheoesophageal puncture is advantageous for alaryngeal speech rehabilitation. Eighty-two percent of the 22 patients who survived more than 4 years after surgery continued with tracheoesophageal speech, and 16 complications occurred over a longer term in 13 of the 22 patients. Since 75% of these long-term complications could be overcome by surgical treatment, close observation of the tracheoesophageal fistula and adequate treatment are needed for patients with tracheoesophageal speech and making use of a voice prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukutake
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004947:Esophagus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007831:Larynx, Artificial / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011677:Punctures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013072:Speech, Esophageal; D014132:Trachea / Q000601:surgery*