Videoendoscopic Laryngeal Surgery

Abstract

This paper introduces videoendoscope-assisted laryngeal surgery with office-based equipment. With this technique, a patient is seated and the nose, pharynx, and larynx are topically anesthetized. A flexible videoendoscope with a light-sensitive charge-coupled device chip built into the tip is transnasally inserted by an assistant. Specially designed fine-tipped forceps and scalpels were developed for removal of laryngeal lesions. Videoendoscopic laryngeal surgery was undertaken in 114 cases of laryngeal lesions such as polyps, granuloma, and cancer. For benign vocal fold lesions, postoperative vocal function was shown to be improved on aerodynamic and perceptual analyses. For laryngeal tumors, biopsy of the lesion was easily undertaken. Videoendoscopic laryngeal surgery presents the following advantages. It is applicable to outpatients not requiring general anesthesia, it enables functional monitoring of the patient's voice and vocal fold during phonation, it allows for delicate manipulations with both hands, and it gives high-resolution images in comparison to conventional fiberscopy.