Treatment of Mucocele of the Lower Lip With Carbon Dioxide Laser

Huang, I.-Yueh; Chen, Chun-Ming; Kao, Yu-Hsun; Worthington, Philip

doi:10.1016/j.joms.2006.11.013

« Previous Next »Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 65, Issue 5 , Pages 855-858, May 2007

Treatment of Mucocele of the Lower Lip With Carbon Dioxide Laser

I.-Yueh Huang, DDS, MS
- Lecturer, Instructor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chon Ho-Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Visiting Scholar of Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Chun-Ming Chen, DDS, MS
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chon Ho-Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yu-Hsun Kao, DDS, MS
- Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chon Ho-Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Philip Worthington, MD, BSc, FDSRCS
- Professor Emeritus and Former Chairman, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Worthington: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Washington, Box 357134, Seattle, WA 98195

Purpose

The aim of this report was to evaluate the outcome and complications of the treatment of numerous patients with mucoceles of lower lip by means of CO₂ laser vaporization.

Materials and Methods

This study included 82 patients with biopsy-confirmed mucocele of the lower lip who were treated with CO₂ laser vaporization from January 1999 to December 2003; the data on recurrence and complications were collected.

Results

There was a recurrence in 2 cases. Complications were rare, except for mild discomfort. One patient felt temporary numbness at the operative site. There was no bleeding and minimal scar formation.

Conclusion

CO₂ laser vaporization to treat the mucocele of the lower lip is effective and has few complications. Because the operative time is shorter than with the excisional method, it is especially good for children and for less cooperative patients with this lesion.