Importance: Patients who undergo total laryngectomy lose the voice function permanently. It is important to reconstruct the voice function of the patients after total laryngectomy.
Objective: To explore a novel method for voice rehabilitation by suturing infrahyoid myocutaneous flaps to the hypopharyngeal and esophageal serosas after total laryngectomy and investigate its clinical efficacy.
Design: Clinical study (retrospective study).
Participants: Twenty patients with advanced laryngocarcinoma who underwent total laryngectomy.
Methods: Following total laryngectomy, the pharyngeal cavity was formed via layer-by-layer suturing, and the infrahyoid myocutaneous flap was sutured to the common wall of hypopharyngeal and esophageal serosas to create a voice tube.
Results: Flap failure was not observed in any patient. All patients were able to vocalize after surgery. The voice after the reconstruction was smooth and natural. However, 3 patients were unable to vocalize gradually. Two patients experienced aspiration, requiring the removal of the voice tube, while 3 patients exhibited mild aspiration, which could be overcome by pressing the larynx on the voice tube surface.
Conclusions: Using infrahyoid myocutaneous flaps with the common wall of the hypopharyngeal and esophageal serosas was effective in rehabilitating voice after total laryngectomy. Future clinical studies are necessary to validate the effectiveness of this technology for voice rehabilitation.
Keywords: infrahyoid myocutaneous flap; laryngeal cancer; total laryngectomy; voice rehabilitation.