Lateral laryngeal suspension: a new procedure to minimize swallowing disorders following tongue base resection.

Fourteen patients who underwent composite resections for oropharynx and tongue base cancers had lateral laryngeal suspensions in order to improve postoperative swallowing ability, minimize the surgical defect, and decrease shifting of the mandible after composite resection. Eleven of these patients had significant base of tongue resections (30-90%) and 3 had oropharyngeal resections. Thirteen (93%) were able to eat by mouth, 14 patients (100%) had a normal airway, and 14 (100%) had intelligible speech.