Erbium:YAG laser surgery on vocal fold tissue

Abstract

The application of lasers in microsurgery of the vocal fold has very special requirements. Easy handling as well as a precise cutting quality with a small laser induced thermal necrosis zone are necessary. In this study, an Erbium:YAG laser was evaluated for phonosurgery. For this, vocal folds from the porcine larynx were irradiated with the Erbium laser wavelength of 3 mum. The ablation rate, as well as the mechanical and thermal damage were investigated as a function of pulse duration, repetition rate and laser fluence. The results show that Erbium lasers are well suited for application on the vocal fold. The laser induced thermal damage was restricted to a superficial layer of only about 20-30 microm, resulting in a loss of the multilayered epithelium. Thermal necrosis had a range of about 5 microm. Further investigations on the vocal folds of humans must be performed to determine whether this laser is qualified for clinical applications.