Abstract
Ninety-five cases of early laryngeal carcinoma treated with laser surgery were reviewed and the pitfalls of laser surgery were discussed. The disease specific survival rates and the larynx conservation rates were as followed (in respective order) : 100% and 93% for glottis T1, 95% and 71% for glottis T2,100% and 100% for supraglottis T1, and 60% and 60% for supraglottis T2. One glottis T2 case died of local recurrence and two supraglottis T2 cases died of neck and distant metastases. Total laryngectomy was required in thirteen cases with residual or recurrent tumors after surgery. These included five with glottis Ti, six with glottis T2 and two with supraglottis T2. Failure of local control was caused by the insufficiency of the laser surgery technique in Ti cases and the over indication of laser surgery in T2 cases. Some complications (fixation of the vocal cord, infection in the prelaryngeal space, laryngeal edema) occurred in four of ninety-five cases and the tracheotomy was required in one these case. Almost all of these problems were remedied by conservative treatment.
