Premium
The Management of Laryngeal Fractures Using Internal Fixation
Author(s) -
de MelloFilho Francisco V.,
Carrau Ricardo L.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/00005537-200012000-00032
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , larynx , tracheotomy , internal fixation , rehabilitation , complication , blunt , physical therapy
Background Laryngeal fracture is a rare injury with the potential to affect all functions of the larynx. Restoration of the laryngeal framework is critical for the rehabilitation of laryngeal function. Objective To ascertain the efficacy of adaptation plate fixation (APF) to repair the laryngeal skeleton. Study Design Retrospective review of the clinical data of all patients who underwent APF of laryngeal fractures from January 1989 to September 1999. Results Our series consisted of 16 men and 4 women presenting with laryngeal fractures caused by blunt (n = 16) or penetrating (n = 4) trauma. Most of these patients presented with severe fractures classified as category III (n = 6), IV (n = 10), or V (n = 1), according to the Schaefer‐Fuhrman classification. All patients who required a tracheotomy (n = 13) were de‐cannulated. Nineteen of the 20 patients recovered a social voice. The e‐ception was a patient with aphasia secondary to head trauma. No patient had aspiration problems. We encountered no complication associated with the use of APF. Conclusion APF is an effective and well‐tolerated method to repair laryngeal fractures.