[Morphological changes in the hypopharynx-esophageal region following laryngectomy. II. Median-sagittal infolding above the ventral aspect of the hypopharynx-esophageal region (author's transl)].

This paper deals with the morphological findings in the hypopharynx-esophageal region of two patients following laryngectomy. In these patients we found a median-sagittal infolding, situated above the ventral aspect of the hypopharynx-esophageal region. This infolding was due to the surgical closure of the ventral wall of the esophagus, following laryngectomy. Histological examination revealed a hernia-like prolapse of the tunica mücosa, m. mucosae and tela submucosa with numerous proliferated macrophages and blood vessels, but no lymphatics. These macrophages are concerned with the removal of an edema, which, however, is only imperfectly removed and finally turns out into a fibrous tissue. The functional meaning of this infolding is not yet clear, but it seems intimately related to the altered function of the hypopharynx-esophageal region following laryngectomy.