[Experiences with the CO2 laser with special reference to the therapy of vocal cord carcinoma]

From July 1979 until December 1982 91 patients have been treated with 143 applications of a Coherent CO2-laser at the ENT Department of Kiel University. At the beginning the laser was applied to the majority of microsurgical indications in the larynx and pharynx. But at the end only some selected indications proved true: the treatment of papillomas, the ablation of the tonsil of the base of the tongue, the ablation of the lateral bands and of laryngeal webs. In the treatment of cancer debulking of large obstructive tumours of the larynx by laser vaporization can be used palliatively or prior to laryngectomy, obviating the need for tracheotomy. Own experiences in the treatment of 23 carcinomas of the vocal cord, considering also the literature, proved that the CO2-laser may be an alternative treatment of early glottic cancers of the middle third of the vocal cords. In the other malignant lesions of the vocal cords the laser may be an additive treatment after failure of radiotherapy and if surgical treatment is not possible.