2011 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 217-224
We evaluated postoperative complications and management in 8 patients (6 men, 2 women), who underwent laryngeal preservation surgery for hypopharyngeal cancer in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Yamagata University School of Medicine from 2004 through 2008. Postoperative complications occurred in all patients. Most frequent complications included recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy of the diseased side. Dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia occurred in 4 (50.0%) patients. Dysphagia in one patient required tube feeding by PEG. One patient with aspiration pneumonia presented pyothorax and drug induced nephropathy. The assessment of the extent of resection and the reconstruction indicated that dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia were most frequently associated with cases with segmental resection of the hypopharynx and free jejunum reconstruction. Leakage from insufficient closure of the tracheal stoma and gastric regurgitation due to lack of peristaltic movement caused by sedative drug, may induce the aspiration pneumonia.
