Endotracheal Tube Obstruction: A Rare Complication in Laser Ablation of Recurrent Laryngeal Papillomas

Abstract

During the past 25 years, use of the carbon dioxide (CO2 ) laser has been accepted as the most appropriate surgical method for the treatment of recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis. Although CO2 laser technology and surgical techniques continue to improve, laser-related complications still occur. We describe a case of a very rare complication—to our knowledge, only the second such case reported in the literature—in which an endotracheal tube was almost completely obstructed by a piece of papillomatous tissue during CO2 laser microlaryngoscopy for the treatment of recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis.