[Voice rehabilitation with a voice prosthesis. Study of 62 patients with 5 years follow-up]. / Réhabilitation vocale par implant phonatoire. Etude de 62 patients ayant 5 ans de recul.

UNLABELLED: From December 1987 to February 1998, 270 patients underwent a total laryngectomy with voice restoration by a voice prosthesis. The analysis is focused on the 62 live patients with a 5 year follow-up. Tracheoesophageal speech had a success rate of 81% after 1 year and 73% after 5 years. The daily use of the voice prosthesis is only 68% after 1 year and 61% after 5 years. During the 5 year follow up (for all patients) 16 (26%) presented an enlarged fistula with leakage around the fistula and 17 (27%) needed a removal of the prosthesis. CONCLUSION: Tracheoesophageal speech with a voice prosthesis appears interesting for laryngectomized patients with: a high success rate, the quality and precocity of the voice obtained. However, it requires extensive care and the results deteriorate with time.

[Prosthetic vocal rehabilitation of Herrmann's type after total laryngectomy. Results apropos of 29 cases]. / Réhabilitation vocale prothétique type Herrmann après laryngectomie totale. Résultats à propos de 29 cas.

The authors performed 29 surgical interventions of this type (24 primary and 5 secondary implantations). The treatment protocols, especially, the radio-chemotherapeutic protocols, were not changed and the radiotherapeutic tolerance of these prosthetic implants was particularly outstanding. This method may find wide application as well after single total laryngectomy as after circular total pharyngeal laryngectomy with restoration by gastric transplant. Speech is generally produced as early as the 12th day and we may assert that it is much better than esophageal speech, the whole indications and results being considered. These are being discussed and sustained support by the therapeutic team appears to be necessary.