Laryngectomy in India

Laryngectomy is the removal of the larynx and separation of the airway from the mouth, nose and esophagus. In a total laryngectomy the entire larynx is removed and in a partial laryngectomy only a portion is taken out. The laryngectomee breathes through an opening in the neck known as a stoma.

This procedure is usually performed in cases of laryngeal cancer. However, many laryngeal cancer cases are now treated only with more conservative surgeries through the mouth or with radiation and/or chemotherapy; laryngectomy is performed when those treatments fail to conserve the larynx or there is sufficient destruction by the cancer that would prevent normal function once it is destroyed. Laryngectomy is also performed on individuals with other types of head and neck cancer or severe swallowing problems.

Laryngectomees number about 60,000 in the United States. Perhaps 10,000 laryngeal cancer cases are treated annually, but only about 3,000 people undergo the surgery each year. Because it is a relatively rare cancer and because the post-operative care is complex in achieving a functional result, laryngeal cancer patients should be treated at or at least consult a major federally designated cancer center, where the fields of surgery, radiology, chemotherapy, speech-language pathology are all available.

The anatomy changes after a laryngectomy. After a total laryngectomy, the individual is breathing through the stoma where the tracheostomy opens in the neck. There is no longer a connection between the trachea and the mouth and nose. These individuals are termed total neck breathers. After a partial laryngectomy, the individual breathes mainly through the stoma, but a connection still exists between the trachea and upper airways; these individuals are able to breathe air through the mouth and nose. They are therefore termed partial neck breathers.