Computed tomography of the normal larynx

A computed tomographic analysis of normal laryngeal anatomy was undertaken using cadaver larynxes. This was part of a larger project in which patients with laryngeal carcinoma were routinely evaluated in the computed tomographic (CT) body scanner. The appearance of normal laryngeal anatomy had to be delineated before disease processes of the larynx were evaluated, and this was accomplished using a computed tomographic technique with 5-mm slice thicknesses and a 3-mm overlap. The scan slices were then compared with anatomic sections taken at the same levels. The comparisons demonstrate an ideal level of accuracy that can be approached in the in-vivo larynx only with use of the latest-generation scanners. However, CT scanning is of immediate usefulness in the diagnosis of laryngeal pathology.