Chondrosarcoma of the larynx. Diagnosis with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

Chondrosarcomas are the most common sarcomas of the larynx. They are generally slow-growing lesions with insidious onset of symptoms. We are presenting a case of chondrosarcoma that recurred 10 years after excision of a presumed chondroma. Computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed. Both studies delineated the lesion nicely. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on MRI characteristics of chondrosarcoma of the larynx. A review of the literature regarding the use of computed tomography in the management of chondrosarcoma is presented. The MRI characteristics are discussed and the two scanning modalities are compared. Computed tomography is an excellent study in its ability to demonstrate the extent of the lesion within the laryngeal skeleton. Furthermore, it is more highly sensitive than plain roentgenograms in the detection of calcifications that are highly suggestive of chondrosarcoma. Alternatively, MRI can also demonstrate the lesion within the larynx but it has the added advantage of superior contrast resolution of the tumor and paralaryngeal tissues. When the three-dimensional imaging capacity of MRI is considered as well, MRI seems to be the superior study.