New Technology for Laryngeal Surgeries

A new approach for removing growths from a patient's airway allows the surgery to be done in a doctor's office with the patient completely awake and allows the patient to go home immediately afterward.

In a surgical procedure performed at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in the Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders (Winston-Salem, NC, USA), Dr. Jamie Koufman, M.D., professor of surgery/otolaryngology, used two complementary lasers. One was a carbon-dioxide (CO2) laser delivered by a newly developed hollow-core optical fiber, and the second was a pulse-dyed laser delivered by standard solid optical fiber. Dr. Koufman used the CO2 laser to remove growths in the larynx and trachea and the pulsed-dye laser to treat the base of the growths and help prevent recurrence. Each was guided by a high-resolution video-endoscope, and the entire system was delivered to the patient through a tiny tube placed in the nose.

Dr. Koufman has also used the method for removing recurrent respiratory papillomas. He believes the same approach will work for 50-70% of all laryngeal surgeries, including the removal of vocal nodules, polyps, cysts, granulomas, and even vascular lesions.

"We're talking about a paradigm shift for laryngeal and airway surgery,” remarked Dr. Koufman. "It's easier, it's cheaper, we do a better job, there's less risk, and we do it here in the office. It's the future of surgery.”

The optical fiber and CO2 laser combination was developed by OmniGuide Communications (Cambridge, MA, USA), while the pulsed-dyed laser was developed by Cynosure, Inc. (Chelmsford, MA, USA). The fiber-optic camera system used to view the surgical site was designed by Pentax Medical Corp. (Montvale, NJ, USA).





Related Links:
Wake Forest Center for Voice