Transoral laser microsurgery is another form of minimally invasive surgery used by several medical centers, including the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic to remove small and medium tumors through the mouth. It's occasionally used for larger tumors. Transoral laser microsurgery allows surgeons to remove tumors from the voice box with no external incisions. It also allows access to tumors that are not reachable with robotic surgery.
A microscope helps the surgeon clearly view the margins of the tumor, minimizing the amount of normal tissue removed or damaged during surgery. This technique helps give the patient as much speech and swallowing function as possible after surgery.
Publications
1. Karni R, Haughey B, Transoral Laser Microsurgery: A New Approach for Unknown Primaries of the Head and Neck, Laryngoscope,2011 Jun;121(6):1194-1201. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lary.21743/pdf
2. Rich J, Liu J, Haughey B, Swallowing Function after Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM) ± Adjuvant Therapy for Advanced Stage Oropharyngeal Cancer, Laryngoscope,2011 Nov;121(11):2381-90. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lary.21406/pdf
3. Haughey BH, Hinni ML, Salassa JR, Grant DG, Rich JT, Milov S, Lewis Jr JS, Krishan M, Transoral Laser Microsurgery as Primary Treatment of Advanced Stage Oropharynx Cancer: A United States Multicenter Study. Head and Neck. 2011 Dec;33(12):1683-94.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hed.21669/pdf
4. Rich JT, Milov S, Lewis Jr, JS, Thorstad WL, Adkins DR, Haughey BH, Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM) ± Adjuvant Therapy for Advanced Stage Oropharyngeal Cancer: Outcomes and Prognostic Factors, Laryngoscope, Volume 119, No. 9, pp 1709-1719, September 2009. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lary.20552/pdf
5. Hinni M, Salassa J, Grant D, Pearson B, Hayden R, Martin A, Christiansen H, Haughey B, Nussenbaum B, Steiner W, Transoral Laser Microsurgery for Advanced Laryngeal Cancer, Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Volume 133, No 12, pp 1198-1204, December 2007. http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/133/12/1198