Office-Based Blue Laser Therapy for Vocal Fold Leukoplakia: A Preliminary Report of 12 Cases.

Abstract

To report the efficacy of office-based blue laser therapy for vocal fold leukoplakia. A retrospective case series. A tertiary care center. A retrospective chart review of patients with vocal fold leukoplakia who underwent office-based blue laser therapy between July 2019 and October 2022 was conducted. The video recordings of their laryngeal examination and their voice evaluation were analyzed before and after surgical intervention. A total of 10 patients, eight with unilateral disease and 2 with bilateral disease, were included in this study. In total, 12 vocal folds with leukoplakia were treated. Nine had a single session and 3 had 2 sessions due to incomplete regression of the lesion after the first laser therapy session. Following treatment, 9 regressed completely (75%) and 3 regressed partially (25%). The mean Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) score decreased significantly from 15.4 ± 12.9 preoperatively to 3.8 ± 2.86 after surgery (p = .023). There was a statistically significant decrease in the means of grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain (p < .05). There was also a statistically significant decrease in the jitter and shimmer percent (p = .008 and p = .048, respectively) and a significant increase in the maximum phonation time from 9.63 ± 3.83to 13.54 ± 5.92 seconds (p = .039). This preliminary study indicates that office-based blue laser therapy is an effective treatment modality for vocal fold leukoplakia.