Title: Use of acellular human amniotic membrane to repair large pharyngocutaneous fistulae developing after radiotherapy and total laryngectomy

Biography:

Lika Karalashvili is a dentist and a scientist at Department of Clinical Anatomy at Tbilisi State Medical University whose research field is the application of bioengineering methods in dentistry.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of surgery involving the use of decellularized human amniotic membrane to repair large pharyngocutaneous fistulae developing after radiotherapy and total laryngectomy. A total of 67 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed after treatment in a prospective trial. After preoperative chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and total or extended laryngectomy, primary wound healing occurred in 42 (62.7%) patients. Pharyngocutaneous fistula has been developed in 8 (11.9%) patients. Human amniotic membrane grafts that were obtained through the decellularization method were used to repair the fistulas. The average time for full healing of the wound in all patients after transplantation of these grafts was 14-18 days. After 3 months of follow-up, none of the patients had fistula recurrence or stricture development. The human amniotic graft is very reliable and is well-suited for repairing pharyngocutaneous fistula.