Tracheal incision for elective tracheotomy in oral cavity cancer

The aim of this prospective study was to compare operative procedure and postoperative complications between horizontal tracheal incision and window-type tracheal excision for elective tracheotomy in patients with oral cavity cancer. Between February 2003 and April 2004, 40 patients with advanced-stage oral cavity cancer were consecutively seen at our tumor clinic. All patients underwent elective tracheotomy before wide excision of the tumor and free flap reconstruction. Either horizontal tracheal incision (H group) or window-type tracheal excision (W group) was randomly carried out in two groups comprising 20 patients each. The post-tracheotomy tracheal stenosis was evaluated by tracheal computed tomography (CT) coupled with advantage workstation 4.0 software for reconstruction. Both groups had the following similar characteristics: age, gender, tracheotomy days, or interval between decannulation and CT scan evaluation. However, the incision time was statistically less in the H group (16.4s) compared with the W group (43.4s). Tracheal stenosis was found in five patients (25%) in the H group and four patients (20%) in the W group, with no significant differences. Nevertheless, neither dyspnea or stridor after decannulation, difficulty in tube exchange, nor accidental extrusion was reported in either groups. The horizontal incision for elective tracheotomy is simpler and faster than the window-type tracheal excision. The complication rate is not significantly different in both groups. We therefore, recommend using horizontal incision for elective tracheotomy in patients with oral cavity cancer.