Multi-institutional experience with the in-office potassium titanyl phosphate laser for laryngeal lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the efficacy of the potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser in lesion reduction, as well as preservation of mucosal wave and glottic closure in a cohort of patients with benign laryngeal pathology across multiple institutions.


METHODS
Multi-institutional and retrospective.


METHODS
One hundred two patients who underwent in-office KTP procedures at multiple academic laryngology practices with at least a single follow-up visit were included. Image analysis was used to quantify vocal fold lesion size before and after treatment. A subset of images was analyzed by expert reviewers to determine the impact of this treatment on glottic closure and mucosal wave.


RESULTS
Statistically, when considering all lesions, KTP induced a significant reduction in lesion size. Post hoc analyses revealed some lesion specificity; all lesions decreased in size, with the exception of vocal fold scar. Mucosal wave and glottic closure were improved or unchanged in more than 90% of the patients examined. The inter- and intrarater reliabilities of the lesion quantification method were excellent.


CONCLUSIONS
With great care and insight, the KTP laser appears to be a valuable tool for the treatment of various benign laryngeal lesions. Furthermore, KTP laser therapy appears to preserve or improve mucosal wave and glottic closure. The lesion measurement protocol previously described by our group appears to be reliable.
Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York 10016, USA.
Mike
M
Sheu
Shaum
S
Sridharan
Maggie
M
Kuhn
Sean
S
Wang
Benjamin
B
Paul
Naren
N
Venkatesan
Colin W
CW
Fuller
C Blake
CB
Simpson
Michael
M
Johns
Ryan C
RC
Branski
Milan R
MR
Amin
D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007828:Laryngoscopy; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D015588:Observer Variation; D010699:Phonation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020127:Recovery of Function; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014741:Video Recording; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014833:Voice Quality