Transoral robotic surgery of the vocal cord

The standard endoscopic surgical approach in the management of laryngeal lesions is by the use of a laryngoscope, microscope, and laser. This requires the surgeon to work within the confines of the laryngoscope. At times, it requires repositioning of the laryngoscope and microscope to gain access to a specific area. The surgery also requires line-of-sight observation to complete the operation. The introduction of transoral robotic surgery in head and neck surgery brings the advantages of three-dimensional magnification, increased degrees of freedom with the effector arms, and an articulating distal end that mimics hand movements. To date, transoral robotic surgery of vocal cord surgery requires the use of a tracheostomy in patients. Here we report the use of a CO₂ laser fiber and the Da Vinci robotic platform (Intuitive Surgical) for the surgical management of a T1 glottic squamous cell carcinoma.