Post laryngectomy complications and their mode of management--an analysis of 203 cases.

ABSTRACT

Two hundred and three laryngectomized patients have been evaluated for the possible causes of post operative complications. 58 out of 203 patients (28.5%) developed pharyngocutaneous fistula. Wound infection was present in 57 cases (28%). Two patients had flap necrosis and 12 patients developed dysphagia after surgery due to pharyngeal stenosis. The possible causes attributed to high occurrence of pharyngocutaneous fistula are, advanced nature of disease, preoperative radio therapy and wound sepsis. Prior to 1980, the incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula in our series (Arora et al. 1983) was 41.6 percent. But it decreased to 13.7 percent between January 1981 to June 1987. The important factors which led to the decreased incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula were thought to be the change of suture material for pharyngeal repair from chromic catgut to Vicryl, use of vacuum suction as a replacement of corrugated rubber drain and aseptic syringe drainage and postoperative coverage with broad spectrum antibiotics.