Comparison of trans-nasal laryngoscopic office based biopsy of laryngopharyngeal lesions with traditional operative biopsy

The objectives of this study are to compare the pathological results from office-based biopsy (OBB) and operative biopsy (ORB) of laryngopharyngeal lesions from 26 patients. Lesion location, specimen concordance, efficacy, cost savings, and patient management are discussed. OBB can provide a sample of laryngopharyngeal tissue that can be used to diagnose lesions in these sites. This study design is retrospective review and involved retrospective analysis and chart review of 26 cases of patients who had an OBB followed by and ORB of the same site; oropharyngeal or laryngopharyngeal lesion. CPT 31576 was to identify patients. Twenty six patients had both OBB and operative biopsy performed of a lesion within the oropharynx and laryngopharynx. All OBB attempts resulted in diagnostic tissue samples. Vocal fold biopsy (69 %) was most common. The most common OBB diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma or moderate-to-severe dysplasia (54 %). OBB and ORB pathological results were the same in 81 % of patients. Of the benign samples obtained by OBB, 83 % of the ORB were deemed benign. Of the non-benign samples obtained via OBB, 80 % of the ORB were deemed non-benign in the operating room samples. Office-based biopsy is a simple procedure that can be performed in an outpatient setting, avoiding an operating room and the need for general anesthesia. Comparison of results from OBB to ORB together with patient characteristics resulted in very reliable results that can help to guide further patient management.