Endotracheal tube obstruction: A rare complication in laser ablation of recurrent laryngeal papillomas

During the past 25 years, use of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser has been accepted as the most appropriate surgical method for the treatment of recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis. Although CO₂ laser technology and surgical techniques continue to improve, laser-related complications still occur. We describe a case of a very rare complication - to our knowledge, only the second such case reported in the literature - in which an endotracheal tube was almost completely obstructed by a piece of papillomatous tissue during CO₂ laser microlaryngoscopy for the treatment of recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis.