Ho:YAG laser treatment of vocal cord polyps

10 patients with vocal cord polyps treated by the Ho:YAG laser were reported with cure rate of 100% and no recurrence. The Ho:YAG laser vaporized the polyps tissue with no bleeding during operation, and mild edema postoperatively in vocal cord. The hoarseness caused by vocal cord edema would disappeared within one week. During one year of our following up, no residual or recurrent cases were found. All patients acquired hormonal voice quality. Vocal cord polyps are a common disease of larynx, and also a major cause of hoarseness. most vocal cord polyps are found in adults, more frequently in male than in female. It arises initially at the junction of the anterior one-third and posterior two-thirds of the true vocal cord. polyps often occur unilaterally, but bilateral involvement is usual. The most common cause of vocal cord polyps generally has been agreed on as vocal misuse. Vocal cord injury caused by abrasion each other when phonating such as congestion, bleeding, and thrombosis of venous Flax and edema in Rinke's space degenerate into polyps gradually. Chronic irritating factors such as smoking, industry dust and chemical gas, acute and chronic inflammation and allergic reaction are inducers of this disease. Pathologically, vocal cord polyps arise from congestion following by edema and hyalinosis in Rinke's space. With the improvement of techniques, clinical application of laser surgical system for vocal cord polyps became more available. Laser-excision changed the traditional concept of surgery by using its physical effect of different energy meanings. Laser is a kind of powerful beam with characters of high degree thermogenesis and pressure. Tissue can be coagulated and vaporized by the temporal behavior of the beam emission with high degree concentrating of energy on a spot. Due to the effect of Laser beam is limited on a minimal spot, the lesion can be removed thoroughly with the normal surrounding tissue intact. Laser was rapidly applied in clinical experiences of vocal cord polyps since fiberoptic delivery system was developed in 1970's.we have been doing many practices about Nd:YAG laser treating vocal cord polyps; Recent years, Ho:YAG laser system was applied in our clinical experience and produced ideal results of treatment. The efficiency of laser treatment is attributable to energy absorption of tissue, which was determined by the wavelength of beam. Ho: YAG laser with a wavelength of 2.1 um possesses several advantages: (1) much more absorption ability than Nd:YAG, (2) less injury to human eyes, (3) being delivered via a fiberoptic system.