Success and predictability of provox prosthesis voice rehabilitation

To determine the success rate and relating clinical factors of voice prosthesis rehabilitation and to analyze the discrimination ability of the multidimensional Harrison-Robillard-Shultz Tracheoesophageal Puncture Rating Scale (HRS Rating Scale).

Prospective clinical study.

University Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.

From 1992 through 1998, 87 patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and/or hypopharynx underwent primary tracheoesophageal puncture after total laryngectomy. Clinician otolaryngologists and speech/language pathologists independently used the HRS Rating Scale for success assessment of voice prosthesis rehabilitation.

Age, sex, tumor localization, tumor stage, and radiation therapy had no influence on the success of voice prosthesis rehabilitation. Overall, voice rehabilitation success rates between 40% and 62% were achieved. Speech/language pathologists and clinician otolaryngologists evaluated the same patient group without significant statistical differences. The HRS Rating Scale analysis showed an equal distribution of the subscale parameter care in functional and nonfunctional speakers and a strong correlation between the subscale parameters quality and use.

Because of its safety and simplicity, tracheoesophageal puncture has become a state of the art method for voice rehabilitation after total laryngectomy. The short-term superiority of voice prosthesis in voice rehabilitation over esophageal speech rehabilitation must be seen in light of comparable long-term success rates of the 2 methods.