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.
Department of Otolaryngology, Gongli Hospital of Pudong New District, 219 Miaopu Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200135, PR China. sgb223@hotmail.com
Guangbin
G
Sun
Haihong
H
Tang
Alicia J
AJ
Sprecher
Julia K
JK
MacCallum
Na
N
Sun
Qin
Q
Fang
Gengtian
G
Liang
Shuimiao
S
Zhou
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*