ORIGINAL ARTICLE  PIGNAT’S ANTERIOR VERTICAL LARYNGECTOMY 

Otorhinolaryngology 2021 June;71(2):57-60

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6302.21.02344-4

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Quality of life after anterior vertical partial laryngectomy

Giuseppe RIVA ¹ ✉, Isabella POLLICINA ¹, Beatrice DELLA GATTA ¹, Flavio PEROTTINO ², Giancarlo PECORARI ¹

¹ Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; ² Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Escartons Hospital, Briançon, France

BACKGROUND: In 1999, Pignat et al. described a vertical partial laryngectomy (VPL) with cricohyoidoepiglottoplasty (CHEPL) for anterior laryngeal cancer. Laryngeal reconstruction was achieved through a plasty, instead of a pexy, in order to preserve hypopharyngeal height and consequently functional outcomes. Quality of life (QoL) assessment is crucial for patients affected by laryngeal cancer, in order to better assess the impact of disease and treatments on everyday life. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate long-term QoL in patients who underwent Pignat’s VPL with CHEPL.
METHODS: Eighteen patients who underwent Pignat’s VPL completed the Italian version of EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 during the follow-up examination. Minimum follow-up was 6 months. Recurrence after Pignat’s VPL represented an exclusion criterion.
RESULTS: Mean age was 68.89±7.79 years. Pathologic tumor staging included pT1-3 cancer. the Global Health Status Score and the functional scales indicated a good QoL. Symptoms’ scales showed low scores, due to poor symptomatology. The specific EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire also demonstrated satisfactory results, showing low scores for the symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Pignat’s VPL with CHEPL allows to obtain satisfactory results regarding patients’ QoL, particularly from a functional point of view.

KEY WORDS: Laryngectomy; Laryngeal neoplasms; Quality of life