Surgical Treatment for Prevention for Aspiration

Abstract

Surgical procedures for prevention of intractable aspiration have been established and performed in patients with severe dysphagia. In this review, typical methods, namely, epiglottic tube-plasty, laryngotracheal diversion, glottal closure and narrow-field laryngectomy are introduced. Postoperative vocal loss is an anticipated demerit in this series of surgeries, however, the patients become free from life-threating pneumonia. In addition, oral intake will become possible in many cases. The surgeries for preventing aspiration described here should be considered more widely for patients with recurrent intractable pneumonia.