Abstract
Pharyngotracheal aspiration is frequent among laryngectomized patients who have undergone a laryngoplasty. This paper describes a technique devised specifically to over come this complication. A onestage tracheopharygeal (TP) shunt procedure was done in eight laryngectomies. The medially and laterally based cervical flaps are made in the anterior part of the neck. After laryngectomy, the TP tunnel is created with the medially based cervical flap, and a functioning sphincter is created by the thyropharyngeus muscle and the sternohyoid muscle at the upper end of the TP tunnel. The cervical defect is closed by the laterally based cervical flap. Three patients experienced minor aspiration, with two patients having stenosis of the TP tunnel.
