Contralateral laryngoplasty after supraglottic laryngectomy with vertical extension.

Eight patients with supraglottic carcinoma extending onto an arytenoid or true vocal cord have undergone supraglottic laryngectomy with vertical extension including the resection of an arytenoid. In these patients, the contralateral superior thyroid cornua was used to reconstruct the resulting defect. In this technique, the thyroid cornua is mobilized and green-stick fractured across the posterior commissure, maintaining its blood supply by leaving the inferior and middle pharyngeal constrictor attached. This muscle-cartilage pedicle flap provides bulk for the posterior glottis and can be anchored anteriorly to form the framework for a new vocal cord. Hypopharyngeal and pyriform sinus mucosa is then mobilized to cover the newly reconstructed hemilarynx. This reconstruction has provided a competent glottis with a good vocal baffle in every patient in this series. Preservation of airway, voice, and laryngeal sphincter is comparable with that achieved after routine supraglottic laryngectomy without resection of an arytenoid. Using this technique, the surgeon can rely on a pedicle graft with surprising accessibility, bulk, and reach.