Authors: Kai J Lorenz
Publish Date: 2014/11/18
Volume: 272, Issue: 3, Pages: 641-659
Abstract
In the past 30 years the use of a voice prosthesis has become the treatment of choice for the restoration of speech following laryngectomy Not only is the placement of a voice prosthesis a simple surgical procedure but it is also associated with a low rate of complications and an excellent success rate Approximately 20–30 of all patients with voice prostheses however develop periprosthetic leakage with aspiration over time Periprosthetic leakage is usually caused by an enlargement of the tracheooesophageal fistula and substantially affects the quality of life of the patients concerned In a retrospective analysis of our patients the incidence of periprosthetic leakage was 357 in a total of 232 patients who underwent laryngectomy during a period of 20 years Substantial enlargement of the tracheooesophageal fistula which required multiple treatments occurred in 125 of the patients In this review the various causes of fistula enlargement are discussed on the basis of the literature and the experience that we have accumulated during the past 20 years in the management of patients with voice prostheses
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