Anterior Cervical Abscess as a Complication of CO₂ Laser Surgery of the Larynx

Abstract

Because of the increasing use of laser surgery, new complications appear in patients. Endoscopic procedures bring to patients a kind of surgery with benefits such as avoidance of external incisions, but complications not seen before are happening. We describe the case of a patient who had a big anterior cervical abscess 1 month after having undergone an endoscopic laser CO₂ cordectomy to treat an epidermoid carcinoma of the left vocal cord. One month after the surgery, the patient came to the emergency department complaining about progressive anterior cervical inflammation, with odynophagia. Computed tomography scan revealed an extensive anterior cervical abscess. As far as we are concerned, our present case is the first reporting this extremely rare complication, an anterior cervical abscess appearing 1 month after an endoscopic laser CO₂ procedure. Reporting this kind of infectious complication, the authors aim to make aware the surgeons about the possibility of this late event.