Laryngeal preserving salvage resection and reconstruction of the base of tongue and epiglottis

Abstract

　There have been few reports about laryngeal-preserving resection of the base of the tongue and epiglottis, in particular, for recurrent cases after chemoradiation or for cases which require wide resection of the base of the tongue. In contrast, we have reported that it is feasible to restore the swallowing function after laryngeal-preserving surgery for recurrent or residual tumors. In the present study, we experienced a case for which favorable postoperative function was obtained after resection of 4/5 of the base of the tongue and epiglottis. To obtain successful results, it is essential to resect the tumor while paying full attention to the postoperative function and to conduct morphological and functional reconstruction of the epiglottis. We present the key points of these procedures.