Diode Laser Efficient, Safe for Tonsillotomy in Children

(HealthDay News) – A fiber-guided 1,470nm diode laser system is safe and effective for tonsillotomy in the treatment of obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy in children.

To compare the effects of 1,470nm diode laser and carbon dioxide laser for tonsillotomy, Miriam Havel, MD, from the University of Munich, and colleagues conducted a trial with an intraindividual design. Twenty-one children (mean age, 6.3 years) underwent laser tonsillotomy for obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy. On one side, fiber-guided 1,470nm diode laser (contact mode, 15W power) was used, while carbon dioxide laser (12W power) was used on the other side. A blinded physician assessed clinical findings and patients’ symptoms at presentation and on days one, three, seven, 14, and 21, postoperatively.

The researchers found the mean operative treatment duration to be 2.7min using 1,470nm diode laser and 4.9min using carbon dioxide laser. When using the 1,470nm diode laser system, intraoperative bleeding and the frequency of bipolar forceps use for intraoperative bleeding control were significantly less. There was no difference in postoperative pain scores between the two laser treatments. During the three-week follow-up period, no infections, hemorrhages, or other complications occurred.

“Compared to the carbon dioxide laser, the 1,470nm diode laser provides excellent cutting abilities combined with less intraoperative bleeding leading to shorter operation times,” the authors write. “Taking into account that it is also well suited for coagulative endonasal applications, the 1,470nm diode laser system offers a highly efficient alternative to the conventional carbon dioxide laser in clinical practice.”

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