title: Relationship between CO2 laser-induced artifact and glottic cancer surgical margins at variable power doses.
abstract: The carbon dioxide laser can induce thermal cytologic artifacts at the margin of early glottic squamous cell carcinoma histologic specimens, which makes assessment of the margin difficult. This study assesses and correlates the depth of laser-induced thermal artifact with laser power rating.
  
  
  
  The surgical margins of 30 patients with early glottic squamous cell carcinomas who underwent laser resection were reanalyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  
  Thermal damage consisted of collagen denaturation within the vocal cord lamina propria and vocalis muscle, and epithelial structural changes. There was a decrease in depth of tissue artifact with increased power rating (p > .05). The average depth of thermal damage was 380.83 ± 178.79 μm.
  
  
  
  The laser causes less thermal damage at higher power, presumably because of the increased speed of cutting and reduced contact time with surrounding cells. Knowledge of the depth of thermal artifact is important surgically when ensuring the cancer is excised with sufficient oncologic margin. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E712-E716, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Malcolm A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.affiliation: Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Pathology West, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.|Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Hedley G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daley
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Digges
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Faruque
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Riffat
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Carsten E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Palme
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D005931:Glottis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D054020:Lasers, Gas / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000072662:Margins of Excision; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: CO2 laser; glottic cancer; histologic margin; power setting; thermal artifact