Endoscopic Nd:YAG laser surgery on malignant and benign lesions of the trachea and carina.

A total of 47 patients with malignant and benign lesions in the trachea and carina were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of endoscopic Nd:YAG laser surgery. The histology consisted of 37 malignant and 10 benign lesions, and 23 of the patients had severe symptoms with laser surgery being performed as a lifesaving emergency. Endoscopic Nd:YAG laser treatment was able to dilate the tracheal calibers from 2.6 +/- 0.9 mm to 6.1 +/- 1.4 mm in the emergency cases with a remarkable effect and brought relief from wheezing and dyspnea, with an objective improvement of more than 25 per cent in peak expiratory flow rate being demonstrated. Furthermore, the tracheal diameters were able to be dilated from about 7 mm to 10 mm in the non-emergency cases. A remarkable effect was achieved in patients with intraluminal or mixed types of tumors among both the emergency and non-emergency cases. The survival rates of the emergency patients in whom a remarkable effect was achieved were definitely better than those in whom only fair or poor effects were achieved and, in the non-emergency cases, similar results were demonstrated. In conclusion, the application of endoscopic Nd:YAG laser surgery to tracheal stenotic diseases has an instantaneous and definite effect on luminal dilatation and shows significance as a lifesaving procedure. Moreover, the resultant improvement in the patients' general condition could make it possible for them to undergo other combined therapy and prolong their life span. Endoscopic Nd:YAG laser surgery is thus considered to be a very effective and established procedure for the treatment of tracheal stenotic lesions.