Office‐based Blue Laser Therapy of Vocal Fold Polyps: A Cohort of 18 Patients

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of office‐based blue laser therapy of vocal fold polyps on voice.MethodsThe medical records and video recordings of patients who underwent office‐based laser therapy in a tertiary referral center between February 2020 and May 2020, and May 2021 and October 2022 was conducted. Only patients with vocal fold polyps who had undergone office‐based blue laser therapy were included. The voice was evaluated before and after surgery using the Voice Handicap Index‐10 (VHI‐10), GRB perceptual evaluation, acoustic analysis, and maximum phonation time.ResultsA total of 18 patients were included. The mean age of the study group was 52.5 ± 11.94 years. The male‐to‐female ratio was 2:1. Ten patients of the total group (53.6%) had hemorrhagic polyps and the most common site was the mid‐third of the vocal fold. All patients who presented for follow‐up (n = 15) had partial or complete regression of the lesion (4 and 11, respectively). There was a significant decrease in the mean score of VHI‐10 (17.6 ± 9.97 vs. 4.27 ± 5.76, p < 0.001) and in the means of grade of dysphonia (2.0 ± 0.73 to 0.5 ± 0.63, p < 0.001), roughness (1.88 ± 0.81 to 0.44 ± 0.51, p < 0.001) and breathiness (0.81 ± 0.75 to 0.13 ± 0.34 p < 0.001). There was also a marked decrease in the perturbation parameters (jitter and shimmer) and a significant increase in the MPT from 10.66 ± 4.22 s to 14.26 ± 6.26 s (p = 0.028).ConclusionOffice‐based blue laser therapy is an effective treatment modality in patients with vocal fold polyps.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 133:2712–2718, 2023