Relationship Between Radiotherapy and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Causing Tracheoesophageal Voice Rehabilitation Failure

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to analyze the association of radiotherapy with gastroesophageal reflux as determinant of fistula related pathology, in voice prosthesis patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. METHODS: Sixty-one laryngectomy patients were enrolled between 2005 and 2012. All patients underwent phonatory rehabilitation with voice prosthesis, along with evidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, for which proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were prescribed. We analyzed the occurrence of fistula-related problems among patients who received postoperative radiotherapy and those patients who did not. RESULTS: We observed a higher rate of failure of speech rehabilitation in laryngectomy patients with gastroesphageal reflux: this occurred when they had a history of postoperative radiotherapy (45%) compared with patients who did not (17%) (P < 0.05), although all patients were treated with PPIs. CONCLUSION: Our results seem to confirm the importance of postoperative radiotherapy with gastroesophageal reflux for the determinism of fistula-related problems.