Journal
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
Volume 32, Issue 7, Pages 886-895Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/hed.21276
Keywords
biofilm adhesion; Candida albicans; polyurethane; silicone; voice prostheses
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Funding
- Heimomed (Kerpen, Germany)
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Background. In voice rehabilitation for laryngectomized patients, voice prosthetic biofilm formation is still an unsolved problem. Design and materials of voice prostheses have been altered by manufacturers to improve function and extend the lifetime of devices. The goal of the study was to investigate blot urn formation on Provox 2 and Phonax, recently introduced voice prostheses made of thermoplastic polyurethane. Methods. Five laryngectomized patients were equipped with both Phonax and Provox 2 voice prostheses. Microbial colonization was analyzed using standard microbiological methods. Biofilm formation and material infiltration were illustrated using scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and thin-section light microscopy. Results. Although no differences in quality or quantity of microbial colonization were assessed, microscopic imaging revealed differences in material surfaces, biofilm composition, and infiltration morphologies; the polyurethane material seems to destabilize biofilm architecture by inhibition of hypheal Candida growth forms. Conclusions. Polyurethane material for voice prostheses seems to reduce biofilm stability and infiltrative processes. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 32: 886-895, 2010
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