A radiologic advance in the diagnosis of disorders of the larynx.

The cervical spine greatly reduces the usefulness of anteroposterior soft tissue radiologic examination of the larynx. Fractures of the laryngeal and cricoid cartilages are difficult to diagnose by soft tissue technique, and time-consuming laminagraphy is often required. A new technique for single exposure anteroposterior soft tissue radiography of the cartilages and airway is described. An esophageal cassette containing ultraspeed dental film placed in a retrolaryngeal position is shown to yield detailed radiographs of high contrast. The feasibility of this technique is illustrated by the presentation of radiographs from patients with laryngeal disorders. The new technique is compared with existing examinations available to the clinician and its application in other disorders of laryngeal cartilages and soft tissue is discussed.