Preliminary investigation of low-temperature radiofrequency ablation on treatment of tongue base cyst / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the feasibility of low-temperature radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of tongue base cyst.@*METHOD@#Low-temperature radiofrequency ablation was used to treat 14 patients with the cyst of tongue base under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Operation time, the volume of blood loss and postoperative complications were recorded and the follow-up was taken after surgery.@*RESULT@#The tongue base cysts were totally resected in 14 patients, among which 12 patients only underwent one operation under general anesthesia and two patients received once again under local anesthesia. The procedure took approximately 5-10 min and the volume of blood loss during surgery varied from 1-5 ml. Endotracheal catheter was extubated as usual and incision of trachea was not done. The VAS score of foreign pharynx sensation decreased significantly from preoperative 83.1 +/- 11.2 to postoperative 10.3 +/- 3.6 (P < 0.01). There were no significant postoperative haemorrhage, pharyngalgia, dyspnea or other complications. Speech and the motor function of tongue base were not affected. Follow-up survey ranged from 7 months to 3 years and the cure rate was about 92.9% (13/14) as the recurrence occurred only in one out of 14 cases.@*CONCLUSION@#Low-temperature radiofrequency ablation is a promising management for the cyst of tongue base with less trauma, complications or recurrence.