Summary
The tracheoesophageal (T-E) shunt technique reported by Komorn et al. (1973) was used for vocal rehabilitation in 8 laryngectomized patients including one case of hypopharyngeal cancer. It was proved that this technique was a simple one-stage procedure with a low incidence of complication. Four out of 7 patients, excluding one patient who died of another disease, acquired excellent speech without symptomatic aspiration. Two patients developed fairly good speech. One shunt was closed by aspiration. The shunt constructed by a flap measuring 2×4 cm, opened 1 cm below the distal end of the trachea, showed good results. The T-E shunt speech exceeds esophageal speech in duration and intelligibility.
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Saito, H., Matsui, T., Tachibana, M. et al. Experiences with the tracheoesophageal shunt method for vocal rehabilitation after total laryngectomy. Arch Otorhinolaryngol 218, 135–142 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00469741
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00469741