[Computed tomography in the preoperative diagnosis of malignant laryngeal tumors]

The pre-operative laryngoscopic and CT findings in the larynx in 50 patients with malignant laryngeal tumours were compared. Laryngoscopy showed an accuracy for T-staging of 78.6% and CT an accuracy of 80%. In addition, CT complemented the endoscopic findings by demonstrating the depth of tumour invasion. The changes in individual anatomical portions of the larynx were compared, using both methods. CT and palpation showed equal specificity for lymph node staging, but CT is markedly superior in sensitivity.