Total laryngeal transplant explanted: 14 years of lessons learned

In 1998, the first successful total laryngeal transplant was performed. Outstanding voice quality and swallowing function were achieved, and over the subsequent 14 years, much was learned about tolerance of a transplanted larynx. After approximately a decade, a slowly progressive, chronic rejection process gradually rendered the organ nonfunctional, and the patient and his providers deemed him appropriate for explantation. This is a report of the clinical indications and outcome surrounding the explantation of the first successful total laryngeal transplant.