Clinical assessment of intralaryngeal ultrasonography

Objectives To assess the clinical use of intralaryngeal ultrasonography. Study Design A retrospective study was conducted of 16 patients with laryngeal lesions treated by laryngomicrosurgery. Methods An intraluminal ultrasonic tomography apparatus was connected to a radial scanning 30-MHz miniaturized probe. Under general anesthesia, ultrasonic images were obtained using the filling method. Results In cases of benign disease, such as vocal cord nodules or polyps, the layers of the mucosa could be identified. Characteristic internal echoes were noted in cases of hemorrhagic polyps, vocal cord cysts, and vocal cord cancer. In case of hemorrhagic polyps, hyperechoic regions were noted within the lesions. In cases of vocal cord cysts, internal echoes were absent, and posterior echoes were mildly enhanced. In cases of vocal cord cancer, infiltration beyond the mucosa could be visualized. Conclusions Laryngeal lesions can be diagnosed by intralaryngeal ultrasonography using the filling method. Although it does not replace the combination of conventional endoscopy and a critical evaluation of the clinical symptoms of the individual disease, it can profitably complement them. Intralaryngeal ultrasonography can help in determining the extent of tumor involvement during microscopic laser surgery performed under general anesthesia. Confirmation of the results of this pilot study with a larger series of patients is desirable.