Schipper Jörg, Ridder Gerd Jürgen, Maier Wolfgang, Teszler Christian Barna, Horch Raymund E
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Killianstrasse 5, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
Auris Nasus Larynx. 2007 Jun;34(2):253-8. doi: 10.1016/j.anl.2006.07.013. Epub 2006 Oct 25.
Total or subtotal laryngectomy performed as surgical treatment of locally advanced laryngeal tumors requires a permanent laryngostomy or tracheostomy, and are both associated with severe and lifelong disability. The hitherto published reconstructive methods for the rehabilitation of patients after subtotal anterior laryngotracheal resection of extended laryngotracheal malignancies have not been thoroughly convincing.
We present a successful method of extended laryngotracheal reconstruction that combines modern surgical and biomedical techniques.
A stable three-dimensional anterior neolarynx was prefabricated, including the use of vacuum-assisted prelamination and preconditioning of a composite radial forearm free flap, which was then transferred to the neck and vascularized by microvascular anastomosis to the cervical vessels. This reconstructive procedure permitted the restoration of a stable laryngotracheal conduit in two cases, with the subsequent successful closure of the tracheo-laryngostomy.
In the reported cases the pre- or post-operative irradiation did not compromise the success of reconstruction. Not only did our technique facilitate the rehabilitation of patients suffering from drawbacks of the laryngo-tracheofissure, but it also assisted in avoiding total laryngectomy in cases of advanced anterior laryngeal cancer by extending the indications for subtotal anterior laryngeal resections followed by reconstructive surgery.
