5-319.9:

You have had a voice prosthesis inserted between your oesophagus and your trachea.

The oesophagus or gullet connects the mouth with the stomach. It is a muscular tube. The muscles in the oesophagus move food into the stomach. The oesophagus is in the neck, directly behind the trachea (windpipe). Air is breathed into the lungs through the trachea. The trachea is stabilized by a ring of cartilage.

An artificial connection has been surgically made between your oesophagus and your trachea. You have had a voice prosthesis inserted or replaced in this connection.

The air usually passes through the larynx when you speak. When you speak, the sound is generated by the vocal cords in the larynx. When someone no longer has a larynx, the air can be routed by a voice prosthesis.

A voice prosthesis is a tube that connects the trachea to the oesophagus. This tube enables air to get from the lungs to the upper part of the oesophagus and then to the throat. This air causes vibrations in the throat which are heard as sound. The tube contains a valve. This prevents any fluid from getting through the tube from the oesophagus into the trachea.