Speak Again - Helping People Find their Voices!

Pre and Post Surgery Information

Before Laryngectomy
	This is a healthy adult male with vocal cords and larynx intact. This man breathes through his mouth and nose.
After Laryngectomy
	This man has had his larynx, voice box, Adams apple and vocal cords removed. The esophagus is still connected to the mouth for ingesting food. The trachea is no longer connected to the mouth and nasal passages. This man must breathe, cough and sneeze through the new hole in his neck called a stoma.
Tracheoesophageal Voice Prosthesis
	This man has had a TEP (Tracheoesophageal Puncture) procedure done. A surgical puncture has been made through the stoma into the walls of the trachea and esophagus. This allows the person to occlude his stoma (stop the air flow out of the trachea) and divert it into the esophagus thus allowing the man to use lung air in vocalization. Approximately 1/4 of all laryngectomees choose this method of speech replacement and the percentage is growing at a fast pace.
Artifical Larynx
	This man is using an electro larynx to artifically vibrate his neck above the stoma (these new vibrations) electrically vibrate as his old vocal cords would have done thus producing clear but somewhat mechanical sounding speech. This method of alternative speech is used by over 50% of all laryngectomees.
Esophageal Speech
	This speech technique requires the person to use their tongue to sweep air into the back of the throat and to manually vibrate that air pocket and use the teeth, gums, lips, and tongue to form words. This air comes from the throat and not the stomach as some people assume. Approximately 1-3% of laryngectomees use this technique.
Alaryngeal Voice Choice
	Alaryngeal Voice Choice