Value of computed tomography in management of acute laryngeal injury

Blunt trauma to the larynx is an uncommon injury that results in a wide spectrum of damage to the endolaryngeal soft tissues as well as underlying cartilaginous skeleton. Recognition of these injuries is essential if long-term problems with compromised airway and voice quality are to be avoided. Although minor soft-tissue injuries do not mandate surgery, severe soft-tissue damage or cartilaginous fracture-dislocations require exploration and repair. Treatment is less clearly defined for the injured larynx with moderate damage. Frequently, the degree of soft-tissue injury is used to judge the likelihood of damage to the thyroid and cricoid cartilages. Computed tomography (CT) is an excellent noninvasive technique for examining the laryngeal skeleton. Laryngeal CT may be successfully used to determine the need for open exploration and repair in selected cases of blunt trauma to the larynx when clinical findings are equivocal for cartilaginous damage.