Tehran University Medical Journal

Background and Aim: Total laryngectomy following laryngeal cancer has many sequelae , that loss of voice is the most important of them. Tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) and prosthesis insertion has evolved into the most widely used and accepted technique for vocal rehabilitation.

Materials and Methods: 10 patients that underwent TEP in Amir Alam and Imam Khomeini hospitals from Feb. 2002 through Nov. 2003 were included in this study. Prosthesis insertion in 4 patients is primary and in 6 patients is secondary and all patients are men.

Results: The age of patients was between 50 to 70. 90% of patients had history of cigarette smoking and 10% of them had history of drinking alcohol. Salivary leakage was seen in 30% of patients that was improved with conservative management. Fluency of speech in 30% of patients and intelligibility of speech & voice quality in 40% of patients is good.

Conclusion: We could conclude that TEP has less complication & better speech results of other vocal rehabilitation methods. Carefully selection of patients & size of prosthesis has important role in results of TEP.