From Light to Medical Laser Light: Instructional Video – Part 2

Part Two – 1982 Pioneering CO₂ Laser Surgery in ENT – The First in the UK – by Mr Oswal

The BMLA is proud to release Part Two of the instructional series From Light to Medical Laser Light, created by Mr Vasant Oswal, Senior Adviser to the BMLA and Chair of its Education Committee.

This 50-minute video offers a rare and compelling insight into the origins of CO₂ laser surgery in ENT. Starting with Mr Oswal’s early days in medicine in 1955, it charts his appointment as Consultant ENT Surgeon in Middlesbrough in 1970, a time when Oro-maxillofacial surgery did not exist. His unit soon gained national recognition for pioneering major head and neck procedures, attracting senior trainees from across the UK.

Driven by his passion for teaching, Mr Oswal created colour-coded temporal bone dissections, now housed at the Royal College of Surgeons. Numerous trainee ENT surgeons have benefited from these specimens in gaining a deeper understanding of the intricate anatomy of the structures which make up the ear. He also produced an award-winning tape-slide programme on laryngeal cancer, presented at the Centennial Conference on Laryngeal Cancer held in Toronto in 1974. He was also among the first to introduce the concept of the multidisciplinary team in ENT oncology.

Part Two focuses on Mr Oswal’s groundbreaking adoption of the CO₂ laser, sparked by his first hands-on experience at the 1981 World ENT Congress in Budapest. With no textbooks or courses available, he taught himself from scratch—using steak, pig larynx, and eventually egg white to analyse laser-tissue interaction frame by frame. Ingeniously, he utilised the transparency of egg white to observe the depth of thermal effects in real-time.

Thanks to a public appeal that raised £72,000, far in excess of the £40,000 appeal, in just six months, the UK’s first CO₂ laser (Coherent 450) was installed in Middlesbrough in 1982. The video features original footage of Mr Oswal’s early self-conceived experiments, as well as landmark operations—starting with a laser excision of the fibroma from a young man’s tongue, which was bloodless and pain-free.
Later clips show advanced tongue cancer surgeries, including a complete glossectomy performed through the mouth without bleeding. Astonishingly, the patient began vocalising just one week later.

Featuring rare surgical footage, high-quality visuals, animations, and thoughtful narration, this film is essential viewing for ENT surgeons and all those interested in the history and evolution of laser medicine in the UK and beyond, through his worldwide travels to run courses and participate in conferences.

Viewer discretion is advised due to surgical content.
Running time: 50 minutes

Part Three, focusing on laser surgery of the larynx – a far more hazardous and technically challenging domain – is coming soon.