Provox-Vega® prostheses were found to improve voice quality and phonation times. Patients do not feel uncomfortable during replacement procedures. Following an appropriate period of familiarisation with the SmartInserter®, we found that the Vega system is quick and easy to use.

Penetrating head and neck injuries often present with vascular lesions and airway compromise and may be life-threatening. Thus controlling bleeding and airway stabilisation take priority in emergency treatment. High-velocity projectiles, fragmentations from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and shrapnel can cause severe tissue injury, representing a challenge for the head and neck surgeon. Since several organ structures, such as the eyes, midface, pharynx, larynx, trachea, esophagus, nerves, vessels and vertebral spine can be injured at the same time, patients should be referred to a specialized trauma center for interdisciplinary treatment following emergency treatment. High-speed ballistic injuries were once confined to the battle field and have been uncommon in Europe since World War II. For this reason, experience among civilian head and neck surgeons is at present limited. With the increased incidence of terrorism and the use of IEDs as the preferred weapon in terrorism it has become important for civilian head and neck surgeons to understand the role of ballistic injuries in mass casualty events. The present paper discusses current viewpoints in the diagnosis and treatment of penetrating head and neck injuries.

Supra-esophageal reflux influences voice quality and quality of life in laryngectomised patients with voice prostheses. This can be explained, for example, by an increased incidence of periprosthetic leakage, the presence of edema in the pharyngo-esophageal segment (where speech is produced), and general reflux symptoms. Rigorous treatment with anti-reflux medications leads to an improvement in reflux parameters that can be assessed objectively (RAI) and in correlated quality of life and voice quality parameters. For this reason, we recommend rigorous oral treatment with PPIs in laryngectomised patients with a confirmed diagnosis of supra-esophageal reflux.

The results show that the Provox FreeHands HME Automatic Tracheostoma Valve system not only allows hands-free speech but is also associated with excellent long-term compliance and good voice rehabilitation.

Microdebrider-assisted inferior turbinoplasty is a minimally invasive method for reducing inferior turbinate size and maintaining mucosal integrity. It has the advantages of a short healing time, only a mild decrease in mucociliary clearance, only minor postoperative problems, and a good functional outcome.