Subglottic plasmacytoma: the use of jet ventilation and contact Nd:YAG laser for tissue diagnosis.
Extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMP) constitute only 1% of all head and neck malignancies, with the vast majority occurring in the upper respiratory tract.  The diagnosis of laryngeal EMP can be difficult since the symptoms are non-specific and the tumor usually mucosally covered. This paper discusses the successful combination of jet Venturi ventilation technique with suspension microlaryngoscopy and contact Nd:YAG laser for tissue diagnosis in a patient presenting with a large subglottic mass.  Previous attempts using standard endotracheal intubation and forceps technique for biopsy failed to reach the diagnosis and resulted in significant bleeding from the biopsy site. A review of the disease and technique is presented.
Department of Surgery, Division Head and Neck, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.
R C
RC
Rabinov
D J
DJ
Castro
T C
TC
Calcaterra
Y S
YS
Fu
C T
CT
Anderson
E
E
Bates
J
J
Soudant
R
R
Saxton
D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D006611:High-Frequency Jet Ventilation; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*