Is vocal cord polyp surgery done under general anesthesia?

In principle, vocal cord polyps need surgical treatment to recover. Some surgeries for vocal cord polyps can be performed with local anesthesia, but general anesthesia is best. However, general anesthesia will cause some harm to the body, so it depends on the patient's age. In the period just after the vocal cord polyp surgery, the patient may affect normal breathing and speaking, and these functions need to be improved slowly.

1 In principle, yes. Vocal cord polyp removal usually needs to be performed under a supported laryngoscope, which is very uncomfortable. Patients who are awake usually find it difficult to cooperate. General anesthesia can eliminate these adverse stimuli. In addition, this type of surgery also requires delicate operation. Patients under general anesthesia have no body movement, which is more conducive to the surgeon's precise operation. Most importantly, ENT surgeries require endotracheal intubation to protect the airway and prevent bleeding or secretions from entering the airway and causing suffocation during surgery, so general anesthesia intubation is generally required to ensure safety.

2 This type of ENT surgery cannot be performed with local anesthesia. This is considered from the perspectives of surgical safety and anesthesia safety. If local anesthesia is used, you will still be awake, so there will still be a nausea reflex, the supported laryngoscope used in the operation will not be able to enter the operation, and tactile stimulation such as cutting will cause involuntary movement of the vocal cords, which is likely to cause vocal cord injury. On the other hand, vocal cord surgery is one of the surgeries that shares a common channel with the respiratory tract, so there are difficulties in airway management, and if the patient is under local anesthesia, there is a risk of aspiration. The above problems can be avoided by using general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, because general anesthesia provides perfect sedation, muscle relaxation and endotracheal intubation to control the airway, thus preventing problems such as nausea reflex and aspiration.

3 Because the surgical operation is performed on the vocal cords, which are the only way for gas to enter the lungs, it is difficult to ensure the patient's breathing if an accident occurs during the operation.