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Jeffrey H. Spiegel, MD; Gerardo Rodriguez, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;134(7):704-708.

Objectives  To describe a surgical and anesthetic technique for chondrolaryngoplasty ("tracheal shaving") involving external translaryngeal needle insertion under general anesthesia, using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope and laryngeal mask airway.

Design  Retrospective review of 31 patients who underwent chondrolaryngoplasty performed by a single surgeon.

Setting  Academic medical center.

Patients  Thirty-one consecutive patients presenting for aesthetic treatment of their thyroid cartilage.

Results  The procedures were all successful, with no voice complications and only 1 transient anesthetic complication.

Conclusion  Chondrolaryngoplasty with translaryngeal needle placement to identify the level of the anterior commissure is a safe, effective surgical technique that minimizes the most significant risks of the surgical procedure.

Author Affiliations: Departments of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (Dr Spiegel) and Anesthesiology (Dr Rodriguez), Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.