Last updated: 02/17/2009

Potential risks associated with a pharyngectomy include those associated with any head and neck surgery, such as excessive bleeding, wound infection, wound slough, fistula (abnormal opening between organs or to the outside of the body), and, in rare...

cases, blood vessel rupture. Specifically, the surgery is associated with the following risks:

• Drain failure. Drains unable to hold a vacuum represent a serious threat to the surgical wound.
• Hematoma. Although rare, blood clot formation requires prompt intervention to avoid pressure separation of the pharyngeal repair and compression of the upper windpipe.
• Infection. A subcutaneous infection after total pharyngectomy is recognized by increasing redness and swelling of the skin flaps at the third to fifth post-operative day. Associated odor, fever, and elevated white blood cell count will occur.
• Pharyngocutaneous fistula. Patients with poor pre-operative nutritional status are at significant risk for fistula development.
• Narrowing. More common at the lower, esophageal end of the pharyngeal reconstruction than in the upper end, where the recipient lumen of the pharynx is wider.
• Functional swallowing problems. Dysphagia is also a risk which depends on the extent of the pharyngectomy.