Q7 Cause of the narrowing of the tracheostoma
I underwent surgery one year and six months ago. Other people had their stomach tubes removed, but not me. If I take it away, the opening in the throat seems to shrink. Why?
A-7 Constitutional factors and surgical conditions
Narrowing of the tracheostoma is a matter of grave concern after laryngectomy because this causes shortness of breath. In particular, during a cold, phlegm gets caught there, causing great inconvenience.
The causes for this which have been accounted for might be:
(1) Constitutional factors
(2) Surgical conditions
(1) occurs in most cases in people who are obese and have thick, short neck or people with significant shrinkage from scaring.
(2) is, in most cases, found in people undergoing extensive resection in which cervical tissue is extensively removed. In contrast, when the area around the tracheostoma is constructed with much margin, the opening is hardly reduced. The limit of the opening is the thickness of a pencil. If this is the case, consult your physician and see about undergoing expansion of the tracheostoma.
