Abstract

VILLARREAL RENEDO, Pedro M. et al. Treatment of oral and oropharyngeal epidermoid carcinomas by means of CO₂ laser. Med. oral patol. oral cir. bucal (Ed.impr.) [online]. 2004, vol.9, n.2, pp.168-175. ISSN 1698-4447.

Introduction: The effect of the wide long-wave CO₂ laser is the thermal vaporization of the tissues, getting a maximum energy concentration with a minimum of tissue penetration. In oral surgery, it is generally used for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal small mucous tumors, due to the scarce morbidity that takes place and the absence of reconstructive necessity. Objective: To analyze the postoperative evolution, in the patients treated by oral and oropharyngeal epidermoid carcinomas, after CO₂ laser resection. To compare it with that of the patients treated by means of conventional surgical methods, achieving the reconstruction through direct suture or the employment of local, regional or distance flaps. Methods: A prospective study was designed including 70 patients treated by oral and oropharyngeal epidermoid carcinomas. Thirty-five patients were treated by means of CO₂ laser, in 10 cases direct wound-closure was realized, and in the remaining 25 patients some local, regional or distance flap were used. There were analysed the presence of postoperative pain, the degree of cicatricial retraction, and the speech and swallowing functional results. Results: We obtained a smaller painful degree and postoperative cicatricial retraction by the employment of CO₂ laser. It permits minimizing the functional speech sequels (better words articulation) and swallowing (effective and precocious functional recovery). Conclusion: CO₂ laser resection has become the elective treatment for small oral and oropharyngeal epidermoid carcinomas. The reasons are the absence of reconstructive surgery necessity, the scarce cicatricial retraction, and the excellent postoperative evolution.

Keywords : CO₂ laser; oral and oropharyngeal epidermoid carcinomas.

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