Use of videotape in diagnosis and treatment of cancer of larynx.

Abstract

Sophisticated endoscopic techniques coupled with new developments in medical videotaping have made this combination a clinically useful technique in the diagnosis and management of laryngeal cancer. Preoperative tapings in the physician's office and taping at laryngoscopy and biopsy allow for better assessment and permanent record of size and location of lesion, location of biopsies, and physiologic impairment of laryngeal function. All personnel participating in treatment including radiotherapists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, chemotherapists, and speech therapists can clearly see the lesion and contribute more usefully to decisions regarding treatment. Videotaping during and after radiotherapy and chemotherapy and after partial laryngectomy can aid in assessing response to treatment, provide a permanent record for comparison, and aid in detecting treatment failure or recurrence. Finally, these techniques aid our educational process for future physicians by permanently and objectively recording the appearance of lesions, treatment, and outcome. (The presentation included actual videotape material used in the processes described.)