Transoral laser surgery for anterior commissure involvement: a study in canines.
OBJECTIVE
To present laser surgery techniques to address anterior commissure involvement and evaluate recovery.


METHODS
Twelve canines were divided into three groups. In group A the right ventricular band and vocal fold, the anterior third of the left vocal fold, and anterior commissure were cauterized. In group B cauterization was extended to the thyroid cartilage and a 5 mm x 5 mm area of the anterior commissural to half the cartilage thickness. In group C the 5 mm x 5 mm window was extended through the thyroid cartilage. Surgical lesions were observed after surgery and at 1 and 4 weeks post-surgery.


RESULTS
Post-operative gross examination confirmed target scopes. One week after surgery, the lesions in group A were completely covered by neo-mucosa, while group B and C wounds were only partially covered. After 4 weeks, a laryngeal web was seen at the anterior commissure and the vocal fold length was shortened. Lesions in all three groups were completely covered by neo-mucosa. Collagen proliferation was most prominent in group C with limited scarring in group A. There were no major complications.


CONCLUSIONS
The three operative methods demonstrated satisfactory outcomes; the lesions recovered well over the course of 4 weeks, and no severe complications occurred. The laser surgery protocol was successfully extended into the thyroid cartilage.
Sun
Guangbin
G
Department of Otolaryngology, Gongli Hospital of Pudong New District, 219 Miaopu Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200135, PR China. sgb223@hotmail.com
Tang
Haihong
H
Sprecher
Alicia J
AJ
MacCallum
Julia K
JK
Sun
Na
N
Fang
Qin
Q
Liang
Gengtian
G
Zhou
Shuimiao
S
D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007828:Laryngoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D007830:Larynx / Q000473:pathology; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D013525:Surgical Instruments; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*