throat. The upper end of the disconnected windpipe is sutured to the front of the throat and an opening, called a tracheostoma ("hole in the windpipe"), is created to admit air. After laryngectomy, breathing through the mouth or nose is no longer possible, and is thereafter done through the tracheostoma.
The incision is sutured tightly to the hypopharynx so that the patient can eat and drink, as before, after the operation, whether the choice involves tea or sushi or tempura.
A person undergoing such surgery must thus learn to produce speech in a new way by storing air in the esophagus and produce a burp-like or belching sound at the "mouth of the esophagus(gullet)." This is why the process is called "esophageal speech." This should be explained clearly and carefully to new students.
