Customized valve housing.

Numerous remarkable advancements have been made in the area of voice prosthetics. A significant, persistent problem, however, has been the development of air leaks around the tracheostome housing. This problem is particularly apparent with patients having deeply recessed, irregular stomas. This paper describes a customized tracheostome valve housing that is fabricated to minimize or alleviate difficulties associated with maintenance of an airtight seal. Our experience with 12 patients revealed that they maintain adequate seals for 72 hours and enjoy the functional benefits provided by the customized housing.