REVIEW  PIGNAT’S ANTERIOR VERTICAL LARYNGECTOMY 

Otorhinolaryngology 2021 June;71(2):77-83

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6302.21.02338-9

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Horizontal versus vertical partial laryngectomy: anatomic and functional differences

Flavio PEROTTINO ¹ ✉, Giuseppe RIVA ², Marc POUPART ³

¹ Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Escartons Hospital, Briançon, France; ² Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; ³ Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Leon Berard Cancer Center, Lyon, France

In the last decades, partial laryngectomies have emerged as surgical approaches for larynx function preservation in laryngeal cancer. Open partial laryngectomies are classified as horizontal (OPHL) or vertical (VPL), basing on the section of the thyroid cartilage. The aim of this paper was to assess similarities and differences between horizontal and vertical partial laryngectomies, with a specific focus on postoperative laryngeal anatomy and functional outcomes. OPHL has been classified by the European Laryngological Society, from supraglottic to supracricoid and supratracheal laryngectomy. VPL have been proposed by many authors, with different laryngeal reconstruction. Different laryngectomies such as Pignat’s VPL and OPHL type IIa have similar indications, including cT1-cT3 anterior laryngeal cancer. Horizontal and vertical laryngectomies modify pharyngo-laryngeal anatomy in a different way. Such alterations negatively affect laryngeal functions, especially airway protection during swallowing. In order to improve swallowing function after partial laryngectomy, it is essential to preserve the anatomy of the pharyngolaryngeal unit as much as possible.

KEY WORDS: Laryngectomy; Laryngeal neoplasms; Head and neck neoplasms