KTP laser debulking of recurrent nasal polyps: a preliminary report

ABSTRACT

Surgery for recurrent nasal polyposis is a challenging task. Although surgical lasers were introduced more than 30 years ago, their use and popularity in nasal and sinus disease have been limited. This study was conducted in a prospective manner with the aim of reporting the results of the endoscope assisted KTP laser in debulking recurrent nasal polyps. 25 Patients with recurrent nasal polyps complaining of nasal obstruction refractory to medical therapy were subjected to KTP laser debulking of these polyps under local anesthesia. Five patients were lost in the follow-up period. Subjective assessment of the patients symptoms revealed improvement of all patients at 3 months and of 90% of the patients at 6 and 12 months. Endoscopic examination revealed no polyps at 3 months. Recurrent polyps were detected in 4 patients [20%] at 6 months, 2 of them were symptomatic, so they were subjected to further laser debulking of these polyps. None of our patients had recurrent polyps at 12 months. KTP laser has proved to be an effective tool in debulking recurrent nasal polyps with minimal complications, excellent patients tolerability and recurrence rate which is comparable to conventional endoscopic techniques