Application of low-level laser therapy for analgesia of odinophagy caused by head and neck radiotherapy: Clinical case series report

Abstract

Objective: To propose the use of extraoral laser therapy to treat odynophagia associated with radioinduced hypopharyngeal mucositis. Odynophagia is characterized by swallowing pain, often requiring diet changes, which directly impacts the patient’s quality of life. Material and Methods: The investigation was an observational descriptive study with case series report. Was performed application of extraoral photobiomodulation for three oncologic patients with odynophagia associated with oral and hypopharyngeal mucositis radioinduced, with low-level laser therapy (Therapy XT DMC®) with λ808nm, 100mW power and 4J energy, 40 seconds per point. Reports of three patients who underwent treatment were collected, transcribed and reviewed qualitatively. The laser application points were proposed based on a previous anatomical study in cadavers, which sought to identify the best area of application of the extraoral laser in the cervical region to reach the hypopharynx. Results: Patients reported reduced odynophagia and greater comfort with the use of this extraoral laser therapy to the hypopharynx in the carotid trigone. Conclusion: The carotid trigone was the best extraoral region for laser application to reach the hypopharyngeal region. The laser therapy protocol applied in this region brought comfort to the patients assessed. Further studies are needed to assess the analgesic capacity of this treatment.