Powered instrumentation in the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis: an alternative to the carbon dioxide laser.

OBJECTIVE To assess the advantages of powered instrumentation vs the carbon dioxide laser in treating patients with juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. DESIGN A retrospective study. SETTING Tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS Patients operated on for juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2000. Papillomas were excised using the microdebrider in one group and the carbon dioxide laser in the second group. INTERVENTIONS Direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy, suspension microlaryngoscopy, and excision of papillomas by the carbon dioxide laser or the microdebrider. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Operative time and postoperative complications. RESULTS Seventy-three operations were performed (23 with the laser and 50 with the microdebrider). Sixteen patients were included, 10 with active disease and 5 with disease in remission; 1 was lost to follow-up. They had a mean age of 3.75 years, and the male-female ratio was 7:9. The patients presented mostly with hoarseness (13 [81%]). Four (25%) had soft tissue complications with the laser. The microdebrider was less time-consuming than the laser, although those treated with the microdebrider had more active disease. No factor could be used to measure treatment outcome due to disease variability. Those who were older, female, and African American tended to have less severe manifestations of disease. CONCLUSIONS The microdebrider proved to be less time-consuming than the carbon dioxide laser when used in patients with juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Soft tissue complications were nonexistent. In addition to safety, the microdebrider is more appealing to the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and parents, especially because these children often need subsequent surgical procedures.