Voice Rehabilitation after Laryngectomy

Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinomas are among the most common malignant tumours of the head and neck region, accounting for about 3 000 new cases per year. Despite enormous advances in organ preservation surgery and chemoradiotherapy, total laryngectomy is still necessary in approximately one quarter of affected patients. The removal of the larynx results in the loss of 3 important functions, i.e., voice production, the air conditioning mechanism of the nose, and the ability to smell. Whereas voice rehabilitation has been a mainstay of treatment from the very beginning of laryngeal surgery, pulmonary and olfactory rehabilitation has received increasing attention only in the past 2 decades. Today every head and neck surgical oncologist should be familiar with the various methods of voice rehabilitation and the use of heat and moisture exchangers for air conditioning. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of current methods of rehabilitation after total laryngectomy and to introduce young surgeons with an interest in voice rehabilitation to available techniques.