Office-based blue laser therapy for dyspnea in patients with type 3 Reinke's edema

PurposeTo investigate the effectiveness of in-office blue laser therapy on dyspnea in patients with type 3 Reinke's edema.MethodsThe medical records and video-recordings of patients with Reinke's edema type 3 who had undergone office-based blue laser therapy between March 2022 and January 2023 were reviewed. The primary outcome measures assessed before and after surgery were dyspnea severity, risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and disease regression. The severity of dyspnea was measured using the Dyspnea Severity Index (DSI), the risk of OSA was assessed using the STOP-BANG questionnaire, and disease regression was assessed by reviewing the laryngeal examination before and after surgery. The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) was used as a secondary outcome measure.ResultA total of 10 patients were included. The mean age of the study population was 58.9 +/- 4.2 years. The male-to-female ratio was 2:3. In total, 20 vocal fold lesions were treated among which 18 were reviewed. Eight lesions regressed completely and 10 partially. There was a statistically significant drop in the mean score of DSI after surgery (16.1 +/- 10.2 pre-operatively vs 2.3 +/- 2.3 post-operatively, p-value < 0.001). The mean STOP-BANG score decreased from 4.8 +/- 1.47 to 3.1 +/- 1.28 (p-value = 0.001). There was also a significant improvement in VHI-10 score (22.7 +/- 7.0 vs 4.4 +/- 5.6, p-value < 0.001).ConclusionOffice-based blue laser therapy offers a safe and effective treatment for shortness of breath in patients with type 3 Reinke's edema.