Supracricoid laryngectomy with Cricohyoidopexy--a clinico oncological & functional experience

Supracricoid laryngectomy with Cricohyoidopexy (CHP) is a procedure that is commonly practiced in France & Canada. Eight such procedures were carried out at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore during the period from 1991 through 1996. Four Glottic, 3 transglottic & one supraglottic cancers were subjected to this procedure. The study comprised of 7 males & 1 female. The average age was 52 years. Two procedures were done as salvage procedures for radiotherapy (RT) failures. The patients have a follow-up ranging from one year to six years, except for one who died soon after discharge from hospital secondary to myocardial infarction. Median follow up was four years. The three year acturial disease free survival was 83%. Six out of 8 (75%) were decannulated, and physiologic deglutition without aspiration was established in all patients. Hospital stay ranged from 11 to 62 days averaging 29 days. The speech was analyzed together with other partial laryngectomies and was found to be qualitatively worse than speech after other partial laryngectomy procedures. In addition speech intensity levels after CHP were lower than in other partial laryngectomy procedures. The speech however allowed normal social interaction. This procedure certainly has distinct oncological advantage in encompassing circumferential horse-shoe lesions with minimal subglottic extension which in the past would have received total laryngectomy and needs to be included in the repertoire of speech restorative surgery in laryngeal cancers.