[Effects of total laryngectomy on the quality of life: a study on certain psychological aspects].

The importance of certain psychological aspects during post-surgical rehabilitation of laringectomized patients is being more and more emphasized in research on the subject. The aim of this study is to consider a group of 55 patients who had undergone a total laryngectomy 6 to 48 months previously. The patients studied spoke using an esophageal voice and were chosen from among a group of 400 operated in our Department. This investigation was carried out not only from an organic point of view but took into consideration the consequence of such an important disability in the personal psychological, social, domestic and relational sphere as well. The study was carried out through a partially guided interview whose aim was to obtain anamnestic information regarding psychological symptoms present at the moment of the interview, the amount of understanding of the patients and their relatives concerning the diagnosis and the signs of sinergy. The Zung scale for self-evaluation of depression and the STAI scale for state and trait anxiety were employed. Through a careful scrutiny of the data, it appeared that the quality of life was the main problem, above all because such a problem is an inevitable consequence of lost vocal functionality. We found that the overall average score of the Zung scale was 31.6% (A patient who obtains a score higher than 40% is considered depressed). Twelve patients among those we examined were above this threshold level. The score of the STAI scale partially overlapped those obtained by a control group made up of patients suffering from anxiety disorders.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)