Voice restoration after total laryngectomy with tracheoesophageal puncture and voice prosthesis

Removal of the voice box or larynx is the usual treatment for advanced cancer of the larynx. Tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) has become an accepted method for voice restoration following total laryngectomy. Eleven patients under went total laryngectomy with TEP at San Pablo Hospital Medical Center between March 1989 and October 1995. Seven patients were available for voice analysis. Eighty six percent of the patient was able to talk. This is the first report of TEP being perform in Puerto Rico and with a complete Hispanic population of patients. Results compare favorably with those reported in the medical literature