Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of preservation or resection of the hyoid bone on aspiration after supraglottic horizontal partial laryngectomy. Methods A total of 39 patients(56 to 67 years old) with supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma (T₁-T₃) without cerebrovascular diseases, nervous system diseases and respiratory diseases were chosen as the observation objects, and of them, 19 patients were preserved the hyoid bone and 20 were removed the hyoid bone. Results The incision margin of all cases was negative. The phonation approached normal and the decannulation rate was 100%. Of the patients preserving the hyoid bone, 2 had mild aspiration(10.5%), 7 serious(36.8%) and 10 moderate(52.6%), and the restoration duration was (31±3) days. Of the patients removing the hyoid bone, 11 had mild aspiration(55.0%), 9 moderate(45.0%) and none serious, and the restoration duration was (15±2) days without aspirated pneumonia. Conclusion Removing the hyoid bone with supraglottic horizontal partial laryngectomy can make good use of the function of the tongue root to shelter glottis, which is an effective way to relieve the post-operation aspiration, shorten the restoration time and prevent or decrease the aspirated pneumonia.

Key words: Laryngeal neoplasm, Laryngectomy, Deglutition disorder