CT of submucosal and occult laryngeal masses

Computed tomographic examinations were performed on 24 patients with entirely submucosal laryngeal mass lesions. Presenting complaints were hoarseness (17 patients), dysphagia (1 patient), airway obstruction (5 patients), and a cervical nodal metastasis (1 patient). The masses were visible endoscopically as submucosal bulges in 21 patients. Three other patients presenting with hoarseness and vocal cord paresis or paralysis had otherwise negative endoscopy and a mass demonstrated on CT. Thirteen patients were eventually diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma, which was the primary working diagnosis following CT in 12 cases. The group of 13 carcinoma patients had a range of two to five endoscopic procedures with one to four negative biopsies and a 6 week to 9 month delay in histologic confirmation of cancer. Other lesions included five laryngoceles, two chondrosarcomas, and one case each of paraganglioma, fibrosarcoma, lymphoma, and tuberculous laryngitis. Computed tomography is an indispensable tool for evaluating submucosal laryngeal masses or otherwise unexplainable symptoms (usually hoarseness) that might herald such a mass. A definite submucosal mass on CT should prompt a deep or wedge biopsy to reach a pathologic diagnosis. This will avoid the delay in diagnosis that frequently occurs in these patients.