Voice restoration

Surgical prosthetic voice restoration is the best possible option for patients to regain oral communication after total laryngectomy. It is considered to be the present "gold standard" for voice rehabilitation of laryngectomized individuals. Surgical prosthetic voice restoration, in essence, is always achievable in patients fit enough to tolerate total laryngectomy and motivated to regain optimal oral communication.
Surgical prosthetic voice restoration requires a multidisciplinary team approach (physician, speech therapist, oncology nurse) to obtain optimal results. If a good prosthetic voice deteriorates, the underlying problem most likely requires prompt clinical consultation, and patients should be instructed accordingly. Most of the problems with prosthetic voice restoration are relatively simple and immediately solvable. If there is no immediate explanation for the inability to voice, a further search more often than not clarifies the cause and shows the way to solve the problem. Reconstruction of the pharynx with, for example, free revascularized or pedicled flaps does not preclude surgical p rosthetic voice restoration.