一項(xiàng)微創(chuàng)手術(shù)通過內(nèi)窺鏡使用特殊的光纖輸送CO2激光，能夠清除由復(fù)發(fā)性呼吸道乳突狀瘤導(dǎo)致的喉部與氣管的腫瘤，而患者無需實(shí)施麻醉。

在過去，CO2激光已經(jīng)被用于治療復(fù)發(fā)性乳突狀瘤，但是患者需要實(shí)施全身麻醉?，F(xiàn)在OmniGuide光纖使用相同的CO2激光技術(shù)在門診即可完成，患者無需在手術(shù)室中接受手術(shù)。OmniGuide光纖通過柔軟的Pentax內(nèi)窺鏡輸送激光能量，患者能夠在手術(shù)之后立即回家。OmniGuide光纖是一種中空的圓柱狀光子帶狀帽子光學(xué)光纖，是由OmniGuide通訊公司(Cambridge, MA, USA)研制成功的。

Wake Forest大學(xué)喉部疾病中心的聲帶與吞咽疾病中心(Winston-Salem, NC, USA)主任Jamie Koufman醫(yī)生操作了該手術(shù)，他說：“這項(xiàng)由OmniGuide公司推出的技術(shù)是劃時(shí)代的，將門診喉部手術(shù)推至一個(gè)新的高度；而且使得喉部手術(shù)在門診即可完成，而無需進(jìn)入手術(shù)室。這樣每例手術(shù)成本將節(jié)約數(shù)萬美元，全國節(jié)約的成本將極其巨大?！盞oufman醫(yī)生在喉部激光手術(shù)、咽喉部返流、以及其他形式的喉部重建手術(shù)領(lǐng)域的造詣極高。

Unsedated Laryngeal Laser Surgery
 
A minimally invasive procedure using a CO2 laser delivered endoscopically with a special fiber was able to clear growths in the larynx and trachea caused by recurrent respiratory papilloma (RRP) without the need for anesthesia.

In the past, CO2 lasers have been used to treat RRP but only in the operating room, with the patient under general anesthesia. Now, the OmniGuide fiber allows use of the same CO2 laser technology but in a clinic setting instead of the operating room. The OmniGuide fiber delivers the laser energy through a flexible Pentax endoscope and the patient can go home immediately following the procedure. The OmniGuide fiber is a hollow-core cylindrical photonic bandcap optical fiber, developed by OmniGuide Communications, Inc. (Cambridge, MA, USA).

“OmniGuide has introduced a cutting-edge technology that will push outpatient laryngeal surgery to a new level; and, by moving most of laryngeal surgery out of the operating room and into the clinic, the cost savings per procedure will be measured in the tens of thousands of dollars, and the national cost savings will be huge,” commented Dr. Jamie Koufman, the director of the Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders of Wake Forest University at the Voice Center (Winston-Salem, NC, USA), who performed the procedure. Dr. Koufman has pioneered work in laryngeal laser surgery, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and other forms of laryngeal rehabilitation surgery.