The Ureta Technique: Secondary Voice Reconstruction After Total Laryngectomy

Celso  V. Ureta,

The Ureta Technique: Secondary Voice Reconstruction After Total Laryngectomy

Abstract:

Title: Primary voice reconstruction in total laryngectomy using the VMCU technique

Objective: To present Ureta Technique as an original surgical primary voice reconstruction procedure in total laryngectomy patients and determine its effectivity in voice rehabilitation. To determine the number of patients who had aspiration after undergoing the VMCU Technique of primary voice reconstruction.

Design: A prospective study of 34 patients who have undergone total laryngectomy with primary voice reconstruction using the Ureta Technique.

Setting: Tertiary Medical Center

Patients: Ten patients with stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx underwent total laryngectomy, with or without radical neck dissection and post-operative radiotherapy from Jan. 1995 to Jan. 2005. Primary voice reconstruction with the Ureta Technique was done in all patients. Speech was evaluated based on the study of St. Guily (1992). Aspiration was also graded using a modification of Leipzig Classification (1980).

Results: Thirty-two out of thirty-four patients were able to acquire speech in 2-6 weeks after undergoing total laryngectomy with the Ureta Technique. There were no incidences of serious aspiration in all cases.

Conclusion: The Ureta Technique is an effective primary voice reconstruction procedure in laryngectomized patients. It was not associated with serious aspiration problems in our series of thirty-four cases.