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Laryngeal Laser Surgery for Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, Cancer and Dysplasia: Operating Room and Office

Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation, Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Department of Laryngeal Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Cambridge, MA

Robert E. Hillman

Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation, Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Surgery and Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School
Cambridge, MA

Since their introduction in laryngology over 30 years ago, lasers have facilitated critically-important innovations that have now evolved into office-based surgery. Recent advances include the application of angiolytic lasers that treat vocal fold lesions by ablating vasculature and the use of the thulium laser as a more efficient and versatile tissue dissector. In our experience, the 532nm pulsed KTP laser has emerged thus far as the optimal angiolytic laser to treat vocal-fold lesions both in the operating room and in the clinic setting. Despite the fact that the skill-sets to adopt office-based laser treatment are an easy transition for most laryngological surgeons, the primary impediment to widespread adoption is the cost of the technology. Furthermore, critical development of these new lasers will occur with broader use of these lasers in other surgical disciplines, which should diminish costs for all surgeons and thereby promote better outcomes for individuals with voice disorders.