[Experiences with cytodiagnosis of laryngeal pathology]

The advantages and limitations of exfoliative cytology in laryngeal pathology is evaluated and a comparison is made between cytological and histological diagnosis in 110 patients. By adding the absolute agreement to that of relative discordance one obtains a 90% confirmation of the validity of cytology although this in no way diminishes the 10% absolute discordance. Cytology is not, therefore, an absolute tool in diagnosis although it does offer a support, rounding out the patient's overall clinical picture. Finally, the authors attest to the usefulness of cytology, particularly in cases of chronic inflammatory processes (where cytological and histological findings are in good agreement). Laryngeal cytology is a non invasive clinical instrument which gives more data than obtained with case history or laryngoscopy. Furthermore, it can direct diagnosis and, above all, limit the use of more invasive tests (such as biopsy).