The patient is made to lie in the supine position, with the head of the bed slightly elevated. A monitor is attached to track the patient’s vitals. An IV cannula is placed in the arm to administer any medications required. Thereafter, the patient is anaesthetized sufficiently enough that the mouth of the patient can be kept open and no gagging occurs once the laryngoscope would be inserted by using a local anaesthetic.

Once the person is unconscious, a plastic tube is gently guided through the mouth and into the throat towards the airway (called an endotracheal tube). Once in place, a small balloon at the end of the tube is inflated to secure it in place and on the outside, the tube is secured using tape. This process is called intubation and helps in providing oxygen to the patient and removing carbon dioxide produced in the lungs.

After intubation, a flexible laryngoscope is inserted through the nose. This is a thin lighted tube, with a camera at its end that allows the doctor to view the vocal folds with great precision. The doctor then proceeds to locate the lesion and using tiny surgical tools threaded through the laryngoscope or carbon dioxide laser, the required operation is carried out, viz. removing damaged tissue. Thereafter, the laryngoscope is gently removed followed by removing the endotracheal tube.

The entire surgery typically takes sixty to ninety minutes.