Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
CO2-Lasertonsillotomy Under Local Anesthesia in Adults
Published on: November 6, 2019
A case of chondronecrosis of the epiglottis after laser chordotomy
Andreas Müller1, Reiner Gottschall, Friedrich Paulsen
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Lessingstrasse 2, 07740 Jena, Germany. a.mueller@med.uni-jena.de
Abstract:
A 30-year-old Caucasian female patient suffering from bilateral vocal-fold immobility developed a necrosis of the epiglottis with severe respiratory distress 35 days after fiber-guided Nd:YAG-laser chordotomy on the right side. Twenty-two years prior to surgery, she had received a high-dose radiotherapy, which had caused severe scarring of the whole neck and the larynx. This necrosis is more likely an inflammatory complication than a direct side effect of the laser surgery in the radiation-altered laryngeal tissue. It underlines the importance of carefully considering the indications for laser surgery of an irradiated larynx.
