Abstract
A carbon dioxide laser has being used with increasing frequency for treating various lesions of the head and neck areas during these thirteen years. Especially, it is used most effectively for treating laryngeal diseases. The authors also are utilizing a carbon dioxide laser in laryngeal microsurgery for granuloma, laryngeal stenosis, papilloma, hyperepithelial lesions and cancer. In this paper, the authors described the advantages, disadvantages and indications of the laser surgery in the larynx. The application of the laser surgery for treating cancer was classified into the following three groups; 1. removal of tumor with laser alone, 2. reduction of tumor with laser and the postoperative irradiation, 3. removal of the residual tumors with laser after irradiation. Moreover, the postoperative phonatory function investigated by aerodynamic and acoustic analyses showed that patients retained sufficient phonatory function in daily use of their voice.
