[Role of CT in diagnosing carcinomas of the larynx. A comparable study with serial sections]

Nineteen patients with carcinoma of the larynges and 1 patient with carcinoma of the pyriform sinus were studied by comparing preoperative CT scannings with corresponding postoperative pathological findings obtained by serial sectioning of the laryngeal specimens. The results indicated that CT could clearly show the mucosa and deep tissues of the larynx including paraglottic space, preepiglottic space and subglottic region. The determination of cartilage invasion larger than 5mm was very accurate and reliable. It also significantly enhanced preoperative T-staging accuracy of medium and large laryngeal carcinomas and provided an important basis for selection of laryngeal conservative surgery. Nevertheless, CT scanning of the larynx has certain limitations.