Adjuvant therapy for laryngeal papillomatosis.

Respiratory papillomatosis affects the larynx in most cases. It is a relatively rare disease, with potentially devastating consequences for the patient. Many studies have proven the viral etiology of the disease. Surgery is the most successful mode of treatment. Adjuvant therapy is used in cases of aggressive disease. The most successful adjuvant drugs are interferon, various virostatics (e.g., acyclovir, valacyclovir, and cidofovir) and indole-3-carbinol. Vaccination with a quadrivalent vaccine against HPV will probably decrease the incidence of respiratory papillomatosis or help in the treatment of the disease in the future. The results of adjuvant therapy of laryngeal papillomatosis at the University Department of ORL & HNS in Ljubljana are comparable to the results in other centers around the world.