Endoscopy-aided laser therapy for intractable granular myringitis.
OBJECTIVE
We report our technique and results for endoscopy-aided CO2 laser therapy for the treatment of intractable granular myringitis, as an out-patient office procedure.


METHODS
A total of 21 patients (14 women and seven men; mean age 32.6 years) were retrospectively reviewed, all of whom suffered from intractable granular myringitis and had undergone endoscopy-aided laser treatment. Granulation tissue was vaporized for one to two seconds with a CO2 laser (spot size 0.5-1 mm with a power setting of 5-10 W in continuous mode). The mean follow-up period was 11 months.


RESULTS
Eighteen of the 21 patients (85 per cent) were cured after a single treatment. Three patients with the diffuse form of the disease required repeat laser treatments coupled with self-irrigation with a diluted vinegar solution. We noted no perforations of patients' tympanic membranes after laser vaporization. We also observed no recurrences over follow-up periods ranging from three months to 2.6 years. Our laser procedure produced no adverse effect on hearing thresholds, nor were any other complications observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that endoscopy-aided CO2 laser ablation is a reliable and minimally invasive method associated with low rates of recurrence and a low incidence of complications. It can be conducted as an office procedure.
Jang
C H
CH
Department of Otolaryngology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea, and Department of Otolaryngology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. chulsavio@hanmail.net
Kim
Y H
YH
Cho
Y B
YB
Wang
P C
PC
D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000379:methods; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
D002245:Carbon Dioxide