laryngectomy
Meaning of laryngectomy: A laryngectomy is a surgical procedure that removes all or part of the larynx, most often to treat laryngeal cancer.
Definition of laryngectomy
A laryngectomy is a surgical operation to remove all or part of the larynx, commonly called the voice box, the structure in the throat that houses the vocal cords and sits at the top of the airway. It is performed most often to treat cancer of the larynx, particularly when the cancer is extensive or has not responded to other treatments.
In a total laryngectomy, the entire larynx is removed and the trachea is redirected to open through an opening in the neck called a stoma, through which a person breathes afterward, since the natural connection between the throat and windpipe is separated. A partial laryngectomy removes only the affected portion of the larynx, and when enough structure remains, natural breathing and some voice function may be preserved.
Because a total laryngectomy separates the airway from the mouth and nose, a person who has undergone the procedure requires an alternate method of speech, such as a voice prosthesis, electronic device, or esophageal speech technique, since the vocal cords used in ordinary speech are removed along with the larynx.
How laryngectomy is built
- laryng/o Combining form · Greek larynx, voice box
- -ectomy Suffix · Greek surgical removal, excision
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Used in a sentence
The patient underwent a total laryngectomy for advanced laryngeal cancer.
Good to know
A total laryngectomy permanently separates the airway from the mouth and nose, distinguishing it from a tracheostomy, which creates an airway opening without removing the larynx or eliminating its natural connection to the upper airway.
Word origin
Where “laryngectomy” comes from
Formed from Greek larynx, meaning the upper part of the windpipe, and the suffix -ectomy, from ektome, meaning a cutting out or excision.