title: A comparison of histopathological results of conventional surgery and transoral radiofrequency ablation in early stage laryngeal carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to compare histopathological results of conventional surgery and transoral radiofrequency ablation in patients with early stage laryngeal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2006 and May 2010, 36 patients (34 males, 2 females; mean age 61.6 years; range 43 to 77 years) who underwent partial laryngectomy in our clinic were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were randomized to partial laryngectomy with radiofrequency ablation or conventional surgery. Hoarseness due to early stage T1 and selected T2N0 vocal cord lesions was an indication for surgery. Of 20 patients receiving conventional surgery, 14 underwent partial laryngectomy, while six patients underwent cordectomy for the excision of tumors. Tumors were excised by transoral radiofrequency ablation in 16 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed thermal artifacts in four patients undergoing conventional surgery and in 13 patients undergoing transoral radiofrequency ablation. There was also hemorrhage in 16 patients undergoing conventional surgery and in seven patients undergoing transoral radiofrequency ablation. Histopathological examination revealed that the surgical margins were safe in 10 patients after radiofrequency ablation. The specimens obtained from six patients showed thermal artifacts which complicated histopathological examination. Sixteen (80%) of 20 conventional surgery patients and nine (56%) of 16 radiofrequency ablation patients had safe surgical margins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In radiofrequency ablation, the surgical zone must be larger than in conventional surgery due to the high risk of tissue damage and complicated histopathological examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, 07100 İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: İbrahim
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Çukurova
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gümüşsoy
authors.forename: Erdem Atalay
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Çetinkaya
authors.forename: Ahmet Sabit
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Oğuz
authors.forename: Orhan Gazi
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Yiğitbaşı
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Etit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006685:Hoarseness; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage; D016896:Treatment Outcome