Laser Surgery

The purchase of a YAG laser several years ago has offered a non-invasive method of treating a variety of surgical conditions. In its simplest form the laser beam can be used with a hand piece as a scalpel for ablating skin tumours such as sarcoids and other superficial lesions. However the equipment has found a greater value applied via the glass fibre through the biopsy channel of an endoscope. This has allowed the treatment of laryngeal hemiplegia and dorsal displacement of the soft palate, as well as ablation of some tumours of both the upper and lower respiratory tract. Surgical ablation of lesions, including both cysts and tumours of the urogenital tract, have been carried out effectively by this non-invasive approach.