Search

Total laryngectomy is a well established method for the treatment of laryngeal cancer. In some cases such as elderly patients or patients with severe complications, a shorter surgical time is preferred. Total laryngectomy using a linear stapler is reportedly advantageous for shortening of the surgical time and for lowering the rate of pharyngeal fistula formation. We applied this surgical technique in three laryngeal cancer cases. After skeletonization of the larynx, the linear stapler is inserted between the larynx and the pharyngeal mucosa. Excision of the larynx and suturing of the pharyngeal mucosa are performed simultaneously. Although the number of cases is small for statistical analysis, the surgical time was shortened by about 30 minutes compared to laryngectomy with manual suturing. Total laryngectomy by linear stapler cannot be applied in all cases of advanced laryngeal cancer. However, if the tumor is confined to the endolarynx, it is a useful tool for some cases that require a shorter surgical time.

We evaluated the diagnostic value of pulse oximetry during sleep in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) caused by adenoid-tonsil hypertrophy. Subjects were 22 healthy children free of symptoms such as snoring, sleep apnea and oral breathing and 163 children suspected of OSAS with snoring or sleep apnea. Subjects were measured for percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) during sleep. Of those with suspected OSAS, 69 underwent adenotonsillectomy and were measured for SpO2, both pre- and postoperatively, then pre- and postoperative measurements were compared. After measurement, we analyzed three parameters: lowest saturation (LSpO2), the desaturation index, and total desaturation duration under 95% (TDD95). Few abnormal findings were seen in healthy children. We calculated the mean and standard deviation (SD) of each parameter and set borderlines of mean-2SD for LSpO2 and mean + 2SD for ODI and TDD95. With these borderlines, 105 children for LSpO2, 75 for ODI and 76 for TDD 95 were judged to be normal among the 163 with suspected OSAS. Histograms showed that the mode of each parameter was situated near the borderline. Comparison between pre- and postoperative measurements showed that the effect of the surgery strongly correlated with preoperative measurement in patients undergoing surgery. Assuming that a patient with postoperative improvement is positive, we calculated sensitivity and specificity for each borderline measurement. We found that if success is 100%, the borderline should be 87% for LSpO2, 3.5 for ODI, and 30.0 for TDD95. If success exceeds 90%, the borderline should be 90% for LSpO2, 2.0 for ODI, and 7.0 for TDD95. We therefore conclude that measurement of SpO2 during sleep is useful in screening for pediatric OSAS.

A supracricoid laryngectomy with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) consists of the resection of the whole thyroid cartilage and paraglottic space, while preserving the cricoid cartilage, the hyoid bone, most of the epiglottis and the arytenoids. Laryngeal reconstruction is achieved be suturing the cricoid cartilage and the hyoid bone. This procedure is mainly indicated for large T2 glottic carcinomas and provides a complete resection and laryngeal preservation without requiring a permanent tracheostomy. Although bilateral arytenoids are usually preserved to ensure better laryngeal function after CHEP, we unavoidably had to remove the arytenoid on the tumor-bearing side during a complete resection performed in a 56-year-old male with a rT2 tumor who had undergone radiation and demonstrated impaired vocal fold motion. Despite the resection of one arytenoid, the final laryngeal function proved to be satisfactory. CHEP should be utilized as an alternative surgical modality for conventional vertical partial laryngectomies or total laryngectomies. CHEP with the total removal of the arytenoid on the tumor-bearing side may be a useful laryngeal preservation procedure for the treatment of patients with glottic carcinoma associated with an impaired vocal fold motion or a fixed vocal fold.