Endoscopic Laser Cordectomy

Endoscopic laser cordectomy, also known as the Kashima operation, is an endoscopic laser surgical procedure performed to treat the respiratory difficulty caused by bilateral abductor vocal cord paralysis. Bilateral vocal fold paralysis most often results from abnormal nerve input to the laryngeal muscles, weakening or eliminating their movement, most commonly through damage to the vagus nerve or its distal branch, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, though paralysis of the vocal fold can also result from mechanical breakdown of the cricoarytenoid joint. The procedure was first described by Kashima in 1989.