MRI and CT evaluation of cartilage invasion of laryngeal carcinoma

C. B. Luo*, M. M.H. Teng, S. S. Chen, J. F. Lirng, W. Y. Guo, G. Y. Lan, C. Y. Chang, T. Chang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Forty-one patients who underwent total or partial laryngectomy for laryngeal carcinoma were examined before treatment with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scan. Eight patients were excluded from this study because of motion artifact or claustrophobia. MRI and CT findings of neoplastic cartilage invasion were recorded and correlated with pathological findings. At histological examination, neoplastic cartilage invasion was depicted in 21 patients and was absent in 12. Thirty-two out of 36 neoplastic cartilage invasions were dected by MRI (32/36, sensitivity 89%), and 18 by CT (18/36, sensitivity 50%). MRI mistook 9 normal cartilages for neoplastic invasion (9/96, specificity 91%), and similar overestimation was seen in 4 out of 96 by CT (4/96, specificity 96%). MRI has a higher sensitivity than CT in the detection of neoplastic cartilage invasion because of better tissue contrast. However, MRI cannot distinguish nonneoplastic change in the cartilage from tumor invasion, which creates a potential source of overestimation of cartilage invasion. MRI of the larynx is the radiologic procedure of choice for evaluating neoplastic cartilage invasion for those patients who are cooperative and well enough to undergo the procedure of examination.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)67-73
Number of pages7
JournalChinese Journal of Radiology
Volume22
Issue number2
StatePublished - 1997

Keywords

  • larynx, CT
  • larynx, MR
  • larynx, neoplasms

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