The University of Hong Kong announced Thursday a study result that ultrasonic scissors can achieve better surgical outcome than traditional tongue tumor treatments.

The Faculty of Medicine of the university has successfully performed glossectomy, the surgical removal of tongue, with the use of the ultrasonic scissors in 14 patients since January 2004.

Satisfactory results were obtained while the patients had nearly zero blood loss and none of them developed post-operative complication.

The operation results were recently published in an international medical journal "Head and Neck" in August 2005.

According to information given by the university, conventional surgical methods for the removal of tongue tumor utilize knife, scissors, diathermy or laser.

Those methods can cause severe burn to the wound, resulting in more post-operative pain, inflammation, speech, swelling and potential wound healing problems.

Statistics from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority showed that there are about 130 new tongue cancer patients every year.

Carcinoma of tongue is more common in men than in women and is associated with chronic consumption of tobacco and alcohol, betel nut chewing and irradiation. Early symptoms include persistently painful tongue ulcer, white or red discoloration.

Source: Xinhua