Key points
• Total laryngectomy is a life-saving procedure for individuals with advanced laryngeal cancer or those suffering from recurrence after initial treatment.
• Manual suturing of the pharyngeal mucosa after the removal of the entire larynx, though time-consuming, is the technique traditionally used for pharyngeal closure after total laryngectomy.
• The stapler closure technique significantly reduced the operative time needed for total laryngectomy. In addition, we observed a lower incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula and hospital stay after stapler closure in all patients. The rate of surgical site infection was comparable between the stapler closure and manual closure groups.
• The presented meta-analysis provides current evidence for the use of stapler closure in laryngeal cancer patients undergoing total laryngectomy. The surgical stapler has the potential to be a useful tool in the pharyngeal closure step during total laryngectomy.