Interindividual Variability in Thyroid Cartilage Lamina Width and Its Implications for Personalized Medialization...

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Laryngology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Thyroid cartilage thickness is critical for medialization thyroplasty.
• Interindividual variability in thyroid cartilage anatomy can impact surgical outcomes.
• Accurate pre-operative assessment is essential for personalized surgical planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze anterior and posterior thyroid cartilage lamina thickness.
• To assess the association of these measurements with age and sex.
• To understand anatomical variability for personalized medialization thyroplasty.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 47 patients undergoing medialization thyroplasty.
• Axial CT scans at the glottic plane were used for thickness measurements.
• Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon signed-rank test and generalized linear mixed models.

Main Results:

• Posterior thyroid cartilage thickness was significantly greater than anterior thickness (median difference = 1 mm, p < 0.001).
• The posterior region was approximately 71% thicker than the anterior region (Risk Ratio = 1.71).
• No significant differences were found based on gender or correlation with age.

Conclusions:

• The posterior thyroid cartilage lamina is consistently thicker than the anterior lamina.
• Individualized radiological assessment is vital for laryngeal framework surgery.
• These findings support a personalized approach to implant selection and surgical planning in medialization thyroplasty.