title: Post laryngectomy speech rehabilitation outcome in elderly patients.
abstract: The aim of our work has been to evaluate the different options of tracheoesophageal voice rehabilitation in over 70-year-old patients, who had undergone laryngectomy, assessing advantages and drawbacks of this method of vocal recovery. A retrospective study has been carried out. This has included 40 subjects, all aged more than 70 years old, who have been referred to tracheoesophageal voice rehabilitation. It has been realized a phonatory fistula between trachea and esophagus with prosthesis positioning by means of a primary puncture in 18 cases and it has been realized a secondary puncture in 22 cases. The results gathered in these patients were compared with data obtained from a group made of 39 patients, less than 70 years of age that therefore represented our control group. In primary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP), the short-term success was 67 %, while in the 22 cases who underwent secondary TEP, the short-term success was 64 %. After 2 years from TEP, the long-term success was 82.5 %. In the control group, the short-term success was 65 % in primary TEP and 73 % in secondary TEP. After 2 years from TEP, the long-term success was 77 %. The evaluation of the results has shown the absence of a statistically significant difference both as regards complications incidence, during and after surgery (p > 0.9) and as regards overall success ratio of prosthesis implants between the two groups (p > 0.7). The possibilities of tracheoesophageal recovery of elderly patients do not show dissimilarities in comparison with the results in younger subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Surgical Specialties, ENT Clinic, University of Catania, Policlinico Universitario "Gaspare Rodolico", Via Santa Sofia, 68, 95125 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cocuzza
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonfiglio
authors.forename: Calogero
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maiolino
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malaguarnera
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martines
authors.forename: Agostino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serra
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D007831:Larynx, Artificial; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011677:Punctures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013071:Speech, Alaryngeal; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome