LARYNGOSCOPY WITH BIOPSY

Laryngoscopy with biopsy is performed when there is a lesion in the throat that needs to be removed either, partially, or in whole to be analyzed. This allows for diagnosis of different conditions including cancer and dysplasia.

Laryngoscopy with biopsy is traditionally performed in the operating room with a patient asleep lying on his/her back. A laryngoscope is placed in a patient’s mouth to allow for viewing of the larynx. Using a combination of a telescopes and microscopes the larynx is examined, and small instruments are used to biopsy any abnormal lesions. Care is taken not to disturb other areas of the larynx which are within normal limits.

Laryngoscopy with biopsy may also be performed in the office, without need for an IV or sedation. After the throat is numbed using lidocaine a flexible laryngoscope is inserted through a patient’s nose into the throat. A fine instrument is inserted into the channel of the laryngoscope and used to take biopsies.

After the tissue from a biopsy is removed it is delivered to a pathologist. The pathologist processes the tissue and then carefully analyzes it using a microscope to examine for abnormalities. A biopsy is the only way to definitively determine if cancer exists.