PRIMARY VOICE REHABILITATION FOLLOWING TOTAL LARYNGECTOMY: OUR EXPERIENCE

摘要

DESPITE THE MODERN TECHIQUES OF CONSERVATIVE SURGERY AND RADIATION THERAPY, TOTALLARINGECTOMY REMAINS A CURATIVE AND NECESARY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS THAT SUFFERFROM LARYNGEAL CANCER. THESE PATIENTS HAVE A GOOD OVERALL SURVIVAL, BUT THEIR QUALITYOF LIFE CAN BE VERY LOW AS THEY OFTEN HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN COMMUNICATING, SWALLOWINGAND SOCIAL REINTEGRATION. THE PHYSICIAN ALONG WITH THE TEAM OF SPEECH THERAPIST,PSYCHOLOGIST AND ONCOLOGIST NEED TO HELP THE PATIENT IN VOICE, DEGLUTITION, OLFACTORYAND PULMONARY REHABILITATION IN ORDER TO HAVE THE BEST RESULTS. IN OUR CLINIC, WHICH ISAN ONCOLOGICAL CENTER, IN THE LAST YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN PERFORMED 230 PROCEDURES OFTOTAL LARYNGECTOMY FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM T3 TO T4 LARYNGEAL CANCER, WITH NECKDISSECTION ACCORDING TO THE TNM CLASSIFICATION. 70 PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM PRIMARY VOICEREHABILITATION WITH VOCAL PROSTHESIS. ALMOST ALL OF THEM HAD GOOD RESULTS, BEING ABLETO COMMUNICATE EASILY.