July 21, 2014
Laryngectomy is surgery to remove all or part of the larynx (voice box) in your throat.
Back to TopAlternative Names
Complete laryngectomy; Partial laryngectomy
Back to TopDescription
Laryngectomy is major surgery that is done in the hospital. Before surgery you will receive general anesthesia. This will make you asleep and unable to feel pain.
Total laryngectomy removes the whole larynx. Part of your pharynx my be taken out as well. Your pharynx is the tube air moves through from your nose. It connects with your larynx.
- The surgeon will make a cut in your neck to open up the area.
- The larynx and tissue around it will be removed, The lymph noses may also be taken out.
- The surgeon will then make an opening in your trachea and a hole in front of your neck. Your trachea will be attached to this hole. The hole is called a stoma. After surgery you will breathe through your stoma. It will never be removed.
- Your muscles and skin will be closed with stitches or clips. You may have tubes coming from your wound for a while after surgery.
- A TEP is a small hole in your windpipe (trachea) and the tube that moves food from your throat to your stomach (esophagus).
- Your surgeon will place a small man-made part (prosthesis) into this opening. The prosthesis will allow you to speak after your voice box has been removed.
There are many less invasive surgeries to remove part of the larynx.
- The names of some of these procedures are endoscopic (or transoral resection), vertical partial laryngectomy, horizontal or supraglottic partial laryngectomy, and supracricoid partial laryngectomy.
- These procedures may work for some people. The surgery you have depends on how much your cancer has spread and what type of cancer you have.
The surgery takes 5 to 9 hours.
Back to TopRisks
Risks for any surgery are:
Risks for this surgery are:
- Hematoma (a buildup of blood outside the blood vessels)
- Wound infection
- Fistulas (tissue connections that form between the pharynx and the skin that are not normally there)
- The stoma opening may become too small or tight. This is called stomal stenosis.
- Leaking around the tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) and prosthesis
- Damage to other areas of the esophagus or trachea
- Problems swallowing and eating
- Problems speaking
Back to TopReferences
Rassekh H, Haughey BH. Total Laryngectomy and laryngopharyngectomy. In: Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2010:chap 111.
Agrawal N, Goldberg D. Primary and Salvage Total Laryngectomy. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America . August 2008;41(4).
MOST POPULAR - HEALTH
- Well: A Sleep Apnea Test Without a Night in the Hospital
- Well: Probiotic Logic vs. Gut Feelings
- Well: Let's Cool It in the Bedroom
- Recipes for Health: Whole Wheat Focaccia with Tomatoes and Fontina
- Well: Beyond Salty and Sweet: A Budding Club of Tastes
- Well: How Many Americans Are Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual?
- Well: Train Like a German Soccer Star
- Dr. Albert J. Stunkard, Destigmatizer of Fat, Dies at 92
- Yehuda Nir, a Psychiatrist and Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 84
- Recipes for Health: Uncooked Tomato and Mint Sauce with Poached Eggs