Transoral Laser Resection for Glottic and Supraglottic Tumours

Otolaryngologists were amongst the first medical professionals to realise the potential of laser surgery [1]. Briedemeier’s development of endoscopic equipment and the micromanipulator enabled the delivery of carbon dioxide (CO2) laser energy to the larynx with the microscope [2]. Laser surgery for laryngeal malignancy was pioneered by Vaughan in 1978 [3], and since then, transoral laser surgery for early glottic and supraglottic carcinomas has increased in popularity, offering organ preservation surgery as an alternative to radiotherapy. Wolfgang Steiner and colleagues made significant advances in transoral laser surgery, extending the application of this technique to locally advanced and recurrent laryngeal cancers [4–6].