Functional and oncologic results of extended supracricoid partial laryngectomy

Objective: To evaluate functional and oncologic results in patients who underwent unilateral arytenoidectomy during supracricoid partial laryngectomy. Design: Retrospective analysis of medical records. Setting: Tertiary care referral center. Patients: One hundred sixteen patients who had received supracricoid partial laryngectomy. Main Outcome Measures: Functional and oncologic results in patients who received supracricoid partial laryngectomy with the extended procedure of unilateral arytenoidectomy. Results: There was a significantly higher rate of aspiration pneumonia (P=.002) and a longer delay of decannulation (P=.03) in the extended group. No significant differences were noted between the 2 groups in the scores for "normalcy of diet" (P=.68), "eating in public" (P=.65), or "understandability of speech" (P > .99) on the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients at the last follow-up visit. Five-year overall recurrence was 24.5% in the extended group. Five-year overall survival was 66.6%, and 5-year disease-specific survival was 72.1% in the extended group. Conclusions: Resection of the arytenoids may interrupt physiologic airway protection in the early postoperative period, necessitating special caution to prevent aspiration pneumonia. However, extended supracricoid partial laryngectomy including arytenoidectomy allows for reasonable oncologic safety and avoidance of functional handicaps and social maladjustment.