USE OF THE KTP-532 LASER IN ACOUSTIC NEUROMA SURGERY

The potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP-532) laser has been applied to ot ologic surgery with a proven record of both safety and efficacy. The a im of this study was to demonstrate the use, safety, and advantages of laser dissection in the surgical treatment of acoustic neuromas. The authors' experience with 111 patients in whom laser surgery was used i n acoustic neuroma is presented, with emphasis on surgical technique e mployed and facial nerve functional outcome. The method of laser disse ction did not result in deleterious neurologic sequelae or laser-speci fic complications. In addition, laser dissection afforded certain adva ntages to traditional techniques, especially in larger tumors. The fac ial nerve functional outcome as assessed by the House-Brackmann gradin g system revealed that 90.2% of small tumors, 72.2% of medium tumors, and 75.0% of large tumors achieved satisfactory (grades I and II) func tional results. These results compare favorably with the literature de scribing nonlaser dissection techniques, The observations and results reported in this article demonstrate the safety of the KTP-532 laser i n the posterior cranial fossa, and specific advantages that this techn ology may offer to the surgical armamentarium of the neuro-otologist a re outlined.