Voice Outcome Following Carbon Dioxide Laser Assisted Microlaryngeal Surgery

Very few studies have been conducted in South Indian population to evaluate glottic function and voice outcome following carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser assisted microsurgery for benign lesions of the larynx. This is a descriptive study which aims at assessing the voice outcome (perceptual and acoustic) and vocal fold function (stroboscopic) following CO₂ laser excision in benign vocal fold lesions. 50 adult patients with benign laryngeal lesions were selected to undergo CO₂ laser excision in super-pulse mode at power setting of 6 watts. Perceptual analysis was done using GRBAS score. Voice analysis was done using Praat software and fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer and harmonics to noise ratio were assessed. Stroboscopy was done to evaluate vocal fold function using glottic closure and mucosal wave pattern as parameters. Evaluation of these parameters was done pre-operatively and at 2, 6 weeks and 3 months post-operatively. Perceptual analysis revealed a significant improvement in the GRBAS score after surgery (p < 0.001). Acoustic analysis showed that all the parameters improved significantly after surgery (p < 0.001). Stroboscopy showed that vocal fold function improved in 98 % of patients in terms of completeness of glottic closure and regular, periodic mucosal wave. Super-pulse micro-spot carbon dioxide laser is a safe and effective treatment option for benign lesions of vocal folds, with excellent voice outcome.