Office-based procedures in laryngology

OBJECTIVE: Development of transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy, integration of an operative channel (OC), the advent of high-definition television imaging, with improvements in laser technology, cleared the way for office-based laryngology. Three treatment categories can be identified: bioendoscopy-guided biopsy; laryngeal injection; laser-assisted surgery. METHODS: 26 patients underwent OBPs at the Otolaryngology Clinic of IRCCS Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy. Sixty-eight procedures were performed: 60 for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), 5 for unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) and 3 for glottic leukoplakias. Neoblucaine 5% was administrated through the operative channel, for local anaesthesia. All procedures were carried out with the physician standing behind the patient. Narrow band imaging (NBI – Olympus Medical) or i-scan (Pentax Medical) were used to enhance the accuracy of the biopsy thanks to identification of atypical vascular patterns. Laryngeal injections were made using a 25G flexible needle. Opera Evo (Quanta system IEC/EN 60825-1:2007) is a hybrid fibre laser that is used for “blanching” and vaporisation of RRP lesions and to treat selected leukoplakias that were previously biopsied. CONCLUSIONS: No major complications occurred during the procedures.