Postlaryngectomy vocal rehabilitation: assessment using a validated questionnaire in 51 patients.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to assess valved speech and related issues in total laryngectomy patients with the help of the validated Voice Prosthesis Questionnaire (VPQ).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We identified 61 patients who had undergone a surgical voice restoration with a valve following total laryngectomy and who were sent the VPQ by mail.

RESULTS

Fifty-one patients (37 males) completed the questionnaire giving a response rate of 83.6%. Fifty-three percent of the patients (n = 27) were fully aware of the dimensions of their valve including the length and diameter, whilst 25% (n = 13) were aware of only one of the two. There was a strong correlation between the patient's perception of tone and their gender with the tone scores significantly lower in women as compared to men (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.04). Ten patients (19.6%) had had leakage-related issues during the previous 7 days.

CONCLUSIONS

This questionnaire provided a significant amount of valuable data. Based on our experience, we recommend the VPQ for prospective use in the serial monitoring and audit of total laryngectomy patients.