Colon interposition in a patient with total postcricoid stenosis after caustic ingestion and preservation of full laryngeal function

Abstract

Caustic burns of the upper aerodigestive tract continue to be a significant clinical problem. However, the available literature uncommonly mentions changes affecting the larynx. We could find only one publication in which four cases of high hypopharyngeal stenosis were described in detail and where the functional outcome of the laryngeal function was stated as partially saved. We describe here a case of total retrocricoid stenosis in a 28-year-old woman that was caused by lye ingestion. A life-saving gastroesophagectomy was performed by the Department of General Surgery. Reconstruction of the esophagus was carried out with mobilized right colon, which was meticulously sutured circumferentially behind the arytenoids and on the prevertebral fascia. The anatomy of the larynx and its nerve supply were scrupulously maintained intact. We believe that our patient’s rehabilitation was due mainly to an intensive 18-month program of care, following which all laryngeal functions recovered with normal voice and swallowing patterns.