Endoscopic Laryngeal Surgery in a Low-resource Setting: A Review of Indications and Outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: Endoscopic laryngeal surgery is a minimally invasive technique that revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of various laryngeal pathologies. It has considerable advantages in preserving laryngeal function while minimizing surgical morbidity. Due to its advantages, the technique has been widely practiced in developed countries. However, in our environment, the practice is rudimentary. Aims: (1) To examine the indications of endoscopic laryngeal surgeries. (2) To analyze the outcomes of endoscopic laryngeal surgeries. (3) To investigate the complications of endoscopic laryngeal surgeries in our setting. (4) To determine the factors that affect the outcome of endoscopic laryngeal surgeries. (5) We seek to contribute valuable insights that may inform clinical decision-making and resource allocation, ultimately enhancing the quality of laryngeal care delivery in low-resource settings. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective review of all consecutive patients who had endoscopic laryngeal surgery at Yobe State University Teaching Hospital, a newly established tertiary institution, from January 2018 to December 2022. Records of the patients were retrieved. Patients with incomplete information were excluded from the study. The information obtained includes biodata, clinical presentation, indications, outcome, and complications of the surgery. The data were analyzed using SSPS version 26.0. Results: Twenty-two patients were included, of whom 14 (63.6%) were males and 8 (36.4%) females, within the age range of 5–77 years with a mean age of 30.5 years. The most common indications of endoscopic laryngeal surgery were laryngeal papilloma (LP) – 9 (40.9%), and vocal cord nodule – 6 (27.3%). The outcome of the surgery was good; the majority of the patients 16 (72.7%) were treated successfully, and most of the patients – 20 (90.9%) had no complication. Conclusions: Endoscopic laryngeal surgery is safe and effective with less complication, and most of the patients had satisfactory outcomes. The most common indications in our setting were LP and vocal cord nodule.