[Bright white vocal folds and capillary ectasias. Late sequelae after radiotherapy]

We report on visible laryngeal changes after radiotherapy. In this study, three women and two men aged 50-64 years were involved. In three cases, the primary tumor was a carcinoma of the thyroid gland and in one case a carcinoma of the esophagus. Due to dysplasia of the vocal folds, one patient underwent primary radiotherapy. Endoscopy was performed 4 to 22 years after radiotherapy. The larynx was examined by video-laryngoscopy and stroboscopy. We found a characteristic pattern of the vocal folds in all patients: bright white vocal fold surface, ectasia of capillaries and increased angiogenesis. We only found this pattern in patients after radiotherapy. In our opinion, these findings are late sequelae of radiotherapy. The picture of laryngitis due to radiotherapy can be distinguished from chronic laryngitis of other etiology using these criteria.