Endoscopic CO(2)-Laser Surgery for Vocal Cord Cancer

A retrospective study is reported on endoscopic CO(2)-laser microsurgery in 69 patients with histologically verified early vocal cord cancer. A flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscope (STORZ Co) was used for preoperative assessment and occasionally for postoperative follow-up. Six years of experience with this technique have led to endoscopic cordectomy, previously not accepted as a therapeutic method alone, but which has become the favored method with use of the CO(2) laser endoscopically. Laser surgery as a therapeutic endoscopic procedure provided successful treatment of early vocal cord cancer in 59 (86%) of the 69 patients. The initial success rate together with “salvage” treatment modalities reached 96% (66/69 patients). Endoscopic laser surgery resulted in a decrease in voice intensity and phonatory duration from near normal to mildly abnormal. Voice preservation succeeded in 97% of all patients. Thus, the data demonstrate that endoscopic laser surgery is a useful modem method of therapeutic endoscopy for early vocal cord carcinoma.