REVITALIZING SMELL PERCEPTION: ADVANCED STRATEGIES FOR OLFACTORY RESTORATION IN TOTAL LARYNGECTOMY CASES

Abstract

Laryngeal cancer, primarily afflicting male individuals, presents as a prevalent malignancy within the upper aerodigestive tract, predominantly as carcinomas. The treatment of laryngeal malignancies encompasses multiple therapeutic modalities, including radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. While non-surgical approaches are often favored, laryngectomy, a surgical procedure, becomes necessary in cases where radiation and chemotherapy fail to produce satisfactory therapeutic outcomes. Partial laryngectomy, frequently combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, involves the removal of a portion of the larynx, enabling the unobstructed flow of air through the respiratory passages, from the nasal cavities to the lungs. For more advanced cases of laryngeal cancer, total laryngectomy (TL) is imperative. TL involves the complete excision of the entire larynx, including the hyoid bone, necessitating a surgical incision in the anterior neck. Various muscles, including hyoidean muscles and the lower pharyngeal constrictor muscle, are sectioned and subsequently sutured, preserving the communication between the hypopharynx and the esophagus.