Voice Rehabilitation Other than Tracheo - Esophageal Shunt Method -

후두적출자의 음성재활 - 기관식도천자법 이외의 방법 -

The problem of voice restoration after total laryngectomy has existed ever since Billroth's first total laryngectomy in 1873. Since then, all the efforts to restore the voice was tried to divert the tracheal air to the pharynx to produce voice, which became the tracheo-esophageal shunt voice currently used. With the intact pharyngoesophagus, however, there are two basic options for speech rehabilitation : the artificial larynx and esophageal voice. The artificial larynx is an electrically driven buzzer or a sound transducer and its most common type is placed against a supple point on patient's neck and introduces a mechanical sound into the tissues and air spaces of the neck. This sound, emanating form the mouth, is articulated by the intact structures of the remaining vocal tract as understandable speech. Esophageal voice is a commonly recommended method for alaryngeal speech rehabilitation, which can be successfully done by regurgitating the air stored in the esophagus. Successful esophageal voice is preferable to the artificial larynx but, most patients usually adapt only one of those methods according to their needs and feasibility to learn.