Primary tracheoesophageal shunt operation for postlaryngectomy voice restoration--a sphincter mechanism against aspiration.

Out of a total of 113 consecutive tracheoesophageal (TE) shunt operations for postlaryngectomy voice restoration in the past 8 years performed at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, 92 patients (81%) succeeded in the postoperative TE speech. The essential part of this surgery consists of the construction of the TE shunt using the membraneous part of the trachea obtained at surgery. In the course of 8 years, important changes have been employed for the prevention of aspiration. We attempted to combine primary cancer surgery with the creation of intelligible voice, but without aspiration. For the above purpose, we have employed the bilateral esophageal muscle flaps (BEMF) against aspiration in combination with the TE shunt construction for phonation. Sixteen of 18 patients thus operated on complained of no aspiration even with a drop of saliva and dietary fluids. As far as the mechanism against aspiration is concerned, both dilatation and elevation of the cervical esophagus during deglutition, together with the BEMF, seem to approximate the sphincter mechanism against tracheal reflux. A proper case selection may achieve high success rates for preserving normal deglutition and restoring speech after total laryngectomy.