An electrohydrothermosation system for application in endolaryngeal and enoral surgery: a technical report

The use of medical lasers or high-frequency (HF) devices ('electrocautery') allows the dissection of tissue by an application of heat. The main advantage of such techniques is the reduction of intra-operative bleeding. On the other hand, carbonization and coagulation lead to difficulties in the histological investigation of the resected specimen. Electrohydrothermosation (EHT) systems are irrigation-supported HF devices. The cutting or coagulation electrodes are continuously rinsed with distilled water in order to minimize thermal interactions with the tissue. We developed an EHT system for endoscopic head and neck surgery. The system was used to remove defined specimens from pig larynges and tongues experimentally. We compared the results with those obtained by a surgical CO2 laser and found that carbonization and overall tissue damage were less severe with EHT than with laser surgery. This leads to the conclusion that EHT is an improvement of conventional HF surgery and may be an alternative to laser surgery in the head and neck.