(0957) Preliminary Outcomes of the TruBlue Laser for Stapedectomy

Introduction: Following the first performance of the stapedectomy in the early 1950s, this procedure, and subsequent innovations of it, have become the gold standard in the treatment of otosclerosis. Lasers have proven to be a useful tool in the performance of the stapedectomy, with the CO2 laser (10,600 nm) being among the most used. Within the past few years, the TruBlue laser, a blue light laser with a wavelength of 445 nm, has gained traction within the otolaryngology community for a variety of procedures. This study compared the outcomes of the CO2 laser versus the TruBlue laser in their use for stapedectomy.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study performed at an academic tertiary care center from September 2020 to August 2023. Patients who underwent stapedectomy were divided into two groups based on the use of CO2 laser or TruBlue laser. Demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected. The primary outcome measure was postoperative air-bone gap (ABG), with secondary outcome measures including operative time, intraoperative complications, and short-term postoperative complications.

Results: A total of 23 patients were included in this study, with 15 and 8 patients in the CO2 and TruBlue cohorts, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the demographics between these groups. Both lasers demonstrated an improved postoperative air-bone gap to less than 10 dB, with no statistically significant difference in their performance (p = 0.75). The two modalities required similar operative time (p = 0.71). The TruBlue laser demonstrated a similar intraoperative and postoperative safety profile to the CO2 laser, although appropriate analysis of this outcome was limited by sample size.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility and safety of the TruBlue laser in stapedectomy. The TruBlue laser yields a decrease in the postoperative ABG comparable to that of the CO2 laser, while maintaining a similar safety profile.