Postoperative radiographs of the pharynx

The present study gives a survey of radiological findings after surgical tr eatment of laryngeal and pharyngeal carcinomas, whereby the surgical proced ures and the localisation of tumours found special consideration. One important point of view of modern surgery is the improvement of quality of life. By reason of this point the role of reconstructive surgery will b ecome increasingly important. Representative radiographs between 1997 and 1 999 are discussed to show the difficulties to distinguish between normal an d pathological postoperative findings after operations of hypopharyngeal di verticula, after partial and total laryngectomy as well as after different methods of surgical reconstructions of pharynx. The examinations which are shown were realized with the conventional radioscopy. Hereby the normal rad iological findings and their comparison to the particular postoperative spe cials rank first. Furthermore the early and late postoperative complication s are mentioned. A variety of surgical procedures in treatment of laryngeal and pharyngeal c arcinoma make new demands on the postoperative diagnostic possibilities esp ecially on the postoperative pharyngography. The variability of the postope rative radiographs complicates the differentiation between normal and patho logical radiological findings and on ly the exact knowledge of the performe d surgical procedure allows their differentiation.