RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The loss of voice after total laryngectomy is one of the main impairments in personal and social life. In order to prevent potential psycho-social consequences in the patient and his family, the restoration of phonatory function is the main objective of post-laryngectomy rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to assess quality of life in patients who received prosthetic voice after total laryngectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a one-year period, 51 patients with voice prostheses after total laryngectomy were recruited. 32 patients (62.74%) were administered radiation therapy and 9 patients (17.64%) underwent to surgical reconstruction with flaps. Each patient was administered the VHI-10 and V-RQOL self-assessment questionnaires. RESULTS: The study showed that vocal restoration with voice prosthesis allows patients to recover a significant degree of quality of life after total laryngectomy. The average score on the V-RQOL questionnaire was 75.9 and on the VHI-10 questionnaire was 13.5. It has not been shown a statistically significant correlation between quality of life after tracheoesophageal prosthesis and radiation therapy, chemotherapy or reconstruction flaps. Younger patients showed, on average, a higher score at V-RQOL. These results allow to state that, after prosthetic rehabilitation, at least 75% of patients experienced an increase in quality of life. Moreover, the prosthetic technique (primary vs secondary) does not affect the long-term outcome and radiotherapy, chemotherapy or reconstruction flaps are not absolute contraindications to rehabilitation with voice prosthesis. CONCLUSION: After total laryngectomy, rehabilitation with tracheoesophageal prosthesis is a satisfactory choice to restore the patient's ability to communicate verbally.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Arteria lusoria is an aberrant right subclavian artery. In symptomatic cases, patients report dysphagia and only in few cases dyspnea, due to external compression of the trachea and esophagus. Symptoms occur in advanced age and diagnosis is made with chest HRCT, when other causes of dysphagia have been excluded. CASE REPORT: An 83-year-old woman presented with dyspnea and mechanical dysphagia for solids. Therefore, she did a chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) that showed areas of consolidation of the lung parenchyma, pleural effusion and presence of arteria lusoria, with a retroesophageal course. After 18 days, dysphagia and dyspnea worsened. The new chest HRCT revealed bilateral atelectasis of the lower lung lobes and severe compression of esophagus and trachea along the course of the arteria lusoria. CONCLUSION: Considering its dangerousness, this vascular anomaly should be considered in advanced aged patients with dysphagia and dyspnea, once other causes have been excluded.
