Surgical voice restoration after total laryngectomy: An overview.

Total laryngectomy is potentially a debilitative surgery resulting in compromise of some of the most basic functions of life including speech and swallowing. This may have a profound adverse effect on the patient's physical, functional, and emotional health, and may result in a decreased quality of life (QOL). Until the 1980s, total laryngectomy was regarded as a dreadful, but often, life-saving procedure for which there was little alternative, and was used as a last resort. At that time survival at any cost in terms of QOL was paramount and many laryngectomies were forced into an isolated life as a mute and dysphasic recluse. Most attempts at voice restoration produced inconsistent results and often techniques were laborious, expensive, and ineffective, particularly when carried out as a salvage procedure after failed radiotherapy. Progress in voice rehabilitation, following total laryngectomy, over the last 30 years, has made an enormous difference in the whole concept of the management of laryngeal cancers. Currently there are several options available for these patients, namely, esophageal speech, artificial larynx, and tracheoesophageal speech. The choice of speech rehabilitation varies from patient to patient, but tracheoesophageal voice has become the preferred method. This article provides a brief account of surgical voice restoration after total laryngectomy. Special emphasis has been given to the surgical technique, special considerations, complications, and the prevention / treatment of tracheoesophageal voice restoration.

Umidificador de traqueostoma: influência na secreção e voz de laringectomizados / Tracheostoma humidifier: influence on secretion and voice of patients with total laryngectomy

TEMA: a laringectomia total acarreta sequelas como a perda da voz laríngea e alteração no sistema respiratório. OBJETIVOS: avaliar a influência do uso do umidificador de traqueostoma (heat moisture exchanger - HME) no controle da secreção pulmonar e na qualidade vocal esofágica e traqueoesofágica de pacientes submetidos à laringectomia total. MÉTODO: nove pacientes do sexo masculino, com idades entre 46 a 67 anos, submetidos à laringectomia total. Os pacientes responderam a um protocolo sobre questões subjetivas relacionadas à secreção pulmonar em três momentos, sendo T1 (avaliação pré-uso do HME), T2 (avaliação pré-uso do HME após seis semanas da primeira avaliação) e T3 (avaliação após seis semanas do uso do HME). Conjuntamente foram feitas gravações das vozes dos pacientes nos mesmos três momentos citados acima. As vozes foram avaliadas por três fonoaudiólogas, em estudo cego, de acordo com um protocolo de avaliação perceptivo-auditiva da voz. Para comparar os resultados obtidos em ambos os protocolos aplicados foram utilizados teste não-paramétrico e Wilcoxon. RESULTADOS: não foi observada nenhuma diferença estatisticamente significativa dos parâmetros de qualidade vocal esofágica ou traqueoesofágica entre os tempos T1 (avaliação pré-uso do HME) e T2 (avaliação pré-uso do HME pós seis semanas) e T3 (avaliação após seis semanas do uso do HME). Verificaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas para as variáveis de quantidade de tosse e expectoração forçada, durante o dia, após o período de uso do HME. CONCLUSÃO: O uso do HME durante seis semanas diminuiu a tosse e a expectoração em pacientes laringectomizados totais, porém não apresentou influência na qualidade vocal esofágica ou traqueoesofágica.

BACKGROUND: total laryngectomy has several consequences such as loss of the laryngeal voice and alterations in the respiratory system. AIM: to evaluate the influence of a traqcheostoma humidifier (heat moisture exchanger - HME) on the control of lung secretion and esophageal and traqueoesophageal vocal quality in patients with total laryngectomy. METHOD: nine male individuals, aged between 46 to 67 years, submitted to total laryngectomy. The patients answered a protocol containing subjective questions related to lung secretion in three different moments: T1 (pre-use assessment of the HME), T2 (pre-use assessment of the HME six weeks after the first assessment) and T3 (assessment six weeks after the use of the HME). Voice samples were recorded during these 3 different assessments and were evaluated by three speech-language pathologists, in a blind study format, according to a perceptual auditory vocal analysis protocol. The non-parametric test of Wilcoxon was used to compare results of both protocols. RESULTS: no significant differences were observed for traqueoesophageal and esophageal vocal quality in the three different moments of assessment: T1 (pre-use assessment of the HME), T2 (pre-use assessment of the HME six weeks after the first assessment) and T3 (assessment six weeks after the use of the HME). On the other hand, there were significant differences, after the period of the HME use, regarding occurrence of cough and forced expectoration during the day time. CONCLUSION: The use of the HME during the period of six weeks reduced cough and expectoration of patients with total laryngectomy. However, the use of the humidifier did not have any influence on the traqueoesophageal and esophageal vocal quality of these patients.