[Safety and efficacy of surgical closure of the larynx for recurrent aspiration pneumonia in persons with severe motor and intellectual disabilities: a comparative study with tracheoesophageal diversion].

Objective: We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and complications of surgical closure of the larynx (SCL) for recurrent aspiration pneumonia in comparison with tracheoesophageal diversion.

Methods: The subjects were persons with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) who had undergone surgery for recurrent aspiration pneumonia between 1994 and 2011: A 8 SCL patients group and a 16 tracheoesophageal diversion patients group. We investigated two groups the lower respiratory infection incidence, length of hospital stay for the surgery, postoperative complications, and rate of cannula withdrawal, by reviewing medical records.

Results: Both the SCL and the tracheoesophageal diversion group showed a reduction in the incidence of infection after surgery, indicating that the efficacy of SCL was equivalent to that of tracheoesophageal diversion in preventing aspiration pneumonea. The SCL group showed a reduction in the length of hospital stay and an increased rate of cannula withdrawal as compared with the tracheoesophageal diversion group.

Conclusion: The efficacy of SCL was equivalent to that of tracheoesophageal diversion in preventing aspiration for SMID. We consider SLC to have potential for reducing the burden on patients.