Low-temperature radiofrequency coblation reduces treatment interval and post-operative pain of laryngotracheal recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

Laryngeal papillomatosis is a benign disease in the larynx but with the potential to develop into significant complications as a result of its high recurrence rate. CO(2) laser and radiofrequency controlled ablation (coblation) have been used to treat recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, but detailed comparisons of their respective treatment outcomes are not fully investigated. This retrospective study examines the procedure time, time interval between interventions, blood loss during operation, post-operative complications and pain scores among patients who received either CO(2) laser or radiofrequency coblation interventions for laryngotracheal recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Compared with CO(2) laser intervention, radiofrequency coblation significantly reduced operation time, time interval between interventions, blood loss during operation and number of times bipolar electrocoagulation needed in each procedure. Post-operatively, pain scores after radiofrequency coblation were significantly lower than those after CO(2) laser intervention. Incidence rates of post-operative complications, in terms of palate pharyngeal mucosa damage, bleeding and subcutaneous emphysema, were also significantly reduced after radiofrequency coblation. Low-temperature radiofrequency coblation is a superior intervention compared with CO(2) laser against laryngotracheal recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.