The normal anterior commissure of the glottis

We characterized the normal width of the anterior commissure of the glottis by measuring its dimensions on CT scans obtained in patients who had no laryngeal disorders.

CT scans of patients referred for cervical CT myelography were prospectively reviewed by a single board-certified radiologist. Axial images through the anterior commissure (localized by vocal process of the arytenoid cartilage, the vocal muscle, or both) were magnified on the viewing console of the CT scanner. Window and level were chosen to simulate our routine settings for CT scans of the neck. Anteroposterior width of the anterior commissure was measured using an electronic ruler with 1-mm marks.

Sixty-five patients were prospectively evaluated. Nine patients were excluded because of substantial motion artifact, and another 18 were excluded because CT images did not include the entire larynx. Thus, the final study group included 38 patients. The average width of the anterior commissure was 1.02 +/- 0.56 mm. The width was less than or equal to 1.1 mm in 22 (58%) of 38 patients. The width was less than or equal to 1.7 mm in 35 (92%) of 38 patients. Forty-two percent (16 of 38 patients) had anterior commissures wider than 1.0 mm. The maximum width of 2.2 mm was seen in only one patient.

The mean width of the anterior commissure was approximately 1.0 mm. However, 42% of patients had anterior commissures wider than 1.0 mm. In our series, using an upper limit of 1.6 mm as a normal measurement for the anterior commissure would have included 92% of patients, and an upper limit of 2.1 mm would have encompassed the mean plus two SDs.