Secondary tracheoesophageal puncture with in-office transnasal esophagoscopy

To evaluate the outcomes of voice restoration using office-based transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) to guide placement of the secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP).

Retrospective chart review.

Two tertiary care medical centers.

The study included 39 patients who underwent the TNE-TEP procedure from January 2004 to December 2008.

Clinical, demographic, and TE speech-related data were recorded to examine the ease, efficiency, complications, and speech-related outcomes.

Among 39 patients identified, the average age was 65 years (age range, 47-83 years), with 32 male (82%) and 7 female (16%) patients. Twenty-five patients (64%) underwent total laryngectomy; 8 (21%) underwent total laryngectomy with partial pharyngectomy; and 14 (36%) underwent microvascular flap reconstruction. The overall success rate of secondary TNE-assisted TEP placement was 97% (n = 38), with 1 unsuccessful attempt. There was no statistically significant correlation found between patients having undergone radiation therapy (either before or after oncologic resection) or a cricopharyngeal myotomy and successful TEP placement, type of reconstruction used to close the pharyngeal defect when compared with the difficulty in the placement of the TEP, development of complications associated with TEP placement, use of the TEP prosthesis, or speech intelligibility at the last follow-up visit. Thirty-one patients (79%) were still using their TEP prosthesis for speech at the last follow-up visit. Of the patients reviewed, 28 (72%) had understandable TE speech.

In-office TNE-assisted TEP placement can safely be performed, with excellent speech outcomes. Reconstruction with musculocutaneous or microvascular free-tissue transfer did not limit our ability to place secondary TEPs with TNE.