Takuo Nobori

Laserthermia on Head and Neck Malignancies— Experimental and Clinical Studies

In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in thermotherapy. However, there is little information on localized laser hyperthermia (laserthermia) or on conventional hyperthermia technique applied to head and neck cancers. We have developed a ceramic probe to insert into tumor tissue and irradiate the Nd:YAG laser omnidirectionally. This probe can heat a spherical range of 1.5 cm to 43 degrees C. This paper concerns experimental and clinical studies on the effectiveness of laserthermia using our technique in the tumor of head and neck regions. The results obtained were as follows: histological findings and biochemical studies of arachidonic acid metabolites on normal rabbit tongue after laserthermia showed very slight effect and relatively short duration of the concomitant inflammation. The combination of laserthermia and CDDP chemotherapy was found to give a much better cytocidal effect on the tumor tissue in nude mice implanted with human thyroid cancer cells. In a clinical study on 21 cases with head and neck cancers, four cases showed complete and 13 cases showed partial remission after combined treatments of laserthermia and radiochemotherapy. Both basic experimental and clinical results have indicated a role for laserthermia in the treatment of head and neck cancer. Possible uses include the treatment of early cancer as well as advanced or recurrent cancer, where its therapeutic effect may be increased by combination with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Chondrosarcoma of the hyoid bone.

Chondrosarcoma of the head and neck is relatively rare. We report the sixth case known to us in which the chondrosarcoma had originated in the hyoid bone. The patient, a 66-year-old man, underwent surgery. The resected tumour was a 5 cm encapsulated lesion composed of lobulated, firm, gray-white tissue. Histologically it showed mature chondrocytes without capsular invasion. There was high cellularity and a few binucleated chondrocytes. Although the tumour grade was prognostic significance, our literature review of the five other cases suggests that the location of the primary lesion and the adequacy of its resection to be more important. Our patient continues to do well 15 months post-operatively. However, long-term follow-up is essential as recurrences have been reported even after eight or 10 years.

Applications of the Nd:YAG Laser in Otorhinolaryngology

Recently, the clinical application of the Nd:YAG laser has begun to assume an increasingly important role, with a multidisciplinary approach to its uses. However, the conventional noncontact Nd:YAG laser system delivers irradiation at some distance, from the target tissue, and this beam spread at the quartz fiber tip causes backscatter and damage to adjacent tissue and vaporization and coagulation of soft tissue is limited.

Multidisciplinary treatment,including laser hyperthermia,for extensive regional metastasis of a penile tumor

Background: There is no reliable treatment for penile tumor with lymph node metastasis.

Contact YAG Laser Surgery in the Treatment of the Head and Neck Tumors

Since the rubby laser was developed by Maiman in 1960, laser technology has made remarkable progress in the field of medical science.

Localized Hyperthermia Using Contact YAG Laser in the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer

It is well known that hyperthermia combined with radio-chemotherapy can be useful in treating malignant tumors. This treatment using micro-wave or radiofrequency has been limited to thraco-abdominal malignant lesions. The main advantage of this technique is the administration of irradiation or heat to a limited tumor volume, sparing the surrounding normal tissues. However, there is little information on localized laser hyperthermia therapy applied to head and neck tumors. We have recently developed a new ceramics-tip for localized laser hyperthermia.

Skin Approximation Using Nd:YAG Laser in Head and Neck Surgery

Laser is useful for surgery to cut, coagulate, vaporize and weld the tissue. Recently, low power laser was utilized for the treatment of ulcer, pain and vascular anastomosis. We applied low power Nd: YAG laser irradiation for skin approximation. An experimental study was carried out by using the Nd: YAG laser in approximating the surgically cut skin wound of guinea pigs. Healing of the wound was observed on post operative days of 3, 7 and 21, respectively. Laser approximation for the incised skin showed less scaring and faster healing than conventional suture technique. This laser technique will be beneficial as one of the new procedures of skin suture in clinical practice. The results were discussed from either technical or cosmetic standpoint.

Contact Nd:YAG Laser Technique In Endonasal Surgery.

The many and complicated causes of mucosal pathology in chronic naso-sinusitis have been reported during the past 30 years. Great importance is attributed to the sinus ostium, mucociliary function, turbinate pathology and charactristics of sinus secretion. Owing to such inflammatory foctors as shown in Figure 1, there is offen an occluded natural ostium of allergy, trauma or swelled mucosa in the nasal cavity. A blocked ostium facilitates transdation and secretion originated in the sinus mucosa and, consequently, microorganism invation or growth can then take place.

Contact Nd:YAG Laser Technique Applied To Head And Neck Reconstructive Surgery

The contact Nd:YAG laser system with ceramics tip was applied to head and neck reconstructive surgery. Plastic surgery was performed in 78 patients with head and neck diseases during the past 11 years. Since 1984 reconstructive surgery in these patients was made on 60 cases and on 45 cases(75%) of these cases the contact Nd:YAG laser surgery was used. Using this laser technique, half volume of bleeding in the operation was obtained as compared with that of the conventional procedure.

A case of hysterical trismus.

A 19 year-old male with hysterical trismus reported. The patient had various signs such as sudden facial palsy, progressive trismus and spastic type gait disturbance. On the laboratory examinations including X-ray Computed tomography, Electric myogram and Cerebro-spinal fluid analysis, there were no findings suggesting any pathological changes.The results of psychiatric analysis suggested that these clinical symptoms represented a hysterical reaction.By Jacobsons progressive relaxation method and symptomatic treatment, these symptoms improved and disappeared completely after three weeks.