Airtraq laryngoscope: a solution for difficult laryngeal exposure in phonomicrosurgery

Conclusion: Airtraq^® laryngoscope can obviously improve laryngeal visualization and may provide a useful solution to treatment of patients with difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) under a conventional suspension laryngoscope in phonomicrosurgery.

Objective: In phonomicrosurgery, otolaryngologists may inevitably encounter DLE. Attempts to improve laryngeal exposure have yielded important advances, but the prevalence of DLE yet remains persistent. To overcome this problem, this study applied the Airtraq^® laryngoscope to perform phonomicrosurgery combined with a video system. The aim of this study is, thus, to explore the clinical usefulness of the Airtraq^® laryngoscope in patients with DLE.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-eight cases who underwent phonomicrosurgery for benign lesions of vocal cord at this hospital were enrolled in this study, of which nine patients were confirmed to be DLE under direct suspension laryngoscope. These nine patients were treated by Airtraq^® laryngoscope together with a video system.

Results: In comparison with the traditional suspension laryngoscope, exposure of larynx was remarkably improved by Airtraq^® laryngoscope. Under the excellent laryngeal visualization provided by Airtraq^®, phonomicrosurgery was successfully accomplished for vocal fold lesions without any severe complications in all cases with DLE.