Long Term Results of Speech Rehabilitation in Total Laryngectomy Patients: Primary Versus Secondary Tracheoesophageal Punctures

Abstract

1. Bien S, Rinaldo A, Silver CE, et al. History of voice rehabilitation following laryngectomy. Laryngoscope 2008; 118: 453-8 2. Blom ED, Singer MI, Hamaker RC. A Prospective study of tracheoesophageal speech. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1986; 112: 440-7 3. Singer MI, Blom ED. An endoscopic technique for restoration of voice after Laryngectomy. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1980; 89: 529-33 4. Singer MI, Blom ED, Hamaker RD. Further Experience with voice restoration after total Laryngectomy. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1981; 90: 498-502 5. Cheng E, Ho M, Ganz C et al. Outcomes of primary and secondary tracheoesophageal puncture: A 16 year retrospective analysis. ENT 2006; 85: 262-67 OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the success of voice rehabilitation and complication rate in patients who underwent laryngectomy with primary tracheoesophageal puncture (pTEP). INTRODUCTION The first successful laryngectomy was performed in 1873 by Theodore Billroth and by 1874, Gussenbauer had devised the first artificial larynx for Billroth’s patients. Yet it wasn’t until 1979 when Singer and Blom developed the tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) prosthesis that would forever change voice rehabilitation in total laryngectomy patients. Voice rehabilitation with esophageal speech has been documented in the literature between 24% to 32% successful. When Singer and Blom first popularized the TEP as a technique for voice rehabilitation, 88% of their patients had attained successful vocalization following total laryngectomy (1). Since this historical publication, many studies have looked at the success rates for TEP and reported rates have ranged from 40 to 90%.