The patient was successfully treated with I.V. antibiotics for 4 weeks, I.V. corticosteroids for 2 weeks and nootropic agents for 1 month (10 days I.V. and 20 days per oral). On the follow-up he showed an improvement in the PTA hearing assessment and on the MRI.
Pharyngocutaneous fistulas (PF) are reported to be the most common complication following total laryngectomy which increases the pressure on the patient, the surgeon and the healthcare system. In an attempt to prevent the development of PF the common practice is to start oral feeding 7-10 days post-operatively. However, the perfect timing to initiate oral feeding is a subject of much debate among the head and neck surgeons. We present our experience with early oral feeding and emphasize the main reasons for this controversy.
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