RECURRENT RESPIRATORY PAPILLOMATOSIS IN THE LARYNX - REEMERGENCE OF CLINICAL-DISEASE FOLLOWING SURGERY

The treatment and aetiology of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis re mains unclear. We report a case of laryngeal papillomatosis where repe ated suction diathermy and later laser treatment led to the formation of a substantial glottic web, but a clinically papilloma-free state of the upper aerodigestive system. Division of the web led to widespread recurrence of the papillomas, which eventually resolved after the lar ynx had healed with the reformation of a limited anterior web. The rol e of surgical trauma and its effect on re-emergence of papillomas is d iscussed.