2012 Volume 24 Issue 1 Pages 25-28
Fourteen patients who underwent vertical partial laryngectomies after failure of irradiation between 1982 and 2010 were evaluated. Median follow up was 70 months (range 8-215 months). One local recurrence occurred within 69 months, which required a total laryngectomy and was successfully treated. One patient developed lung metastases and died of their disease 52 months after surgery. The resultant cause-specific five year survival and laryngeal preservation rate were 88.9% and 80.2% respectively. Two patients developed complications such as necrosis of local skin flap; however these complications were minor in nature. All of the patients were decannulated and achieved oral intake. No patients suffered from aspiration pneumonia.
We came to the conclusion that the partial vertical laryngectomy procedure is an excellent alternative to total laryngectomy for salvage following failure of irradiation.