Exfoliative Cytology in the Diagnosis of Laryngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

Laryngeal carcinoma was studied by exfoliative cytology of materials collected during indirect (16 cases), direct (7 cases), flexible fiber laryngoscopy (16 cases) or of the sputum (1 case).
The results and conclusions are as follows:
1. The overall accuracy of cytological diagnosis was 77.8%. If 3 cases in which satisfactory material could not be obtained are excluded, it was 84.2%.
2. The diagnosis was correct in 70.6%, 85.7% and 81.3% of patients examined by indirect, direct, flexible fiber optic laryngoscopy respectively.
3. Laryngeal cytology with direct laryngoscopy was superior to the other methods.
4. However the flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy should be painless, frequently under local anesthesia, so laryngeal cytology with this method is recommended.
5. The accuracy of laryngeal cytology should improve with the use of the fiber optic laryngoscopy, the accumlation of laryngeal cytological findings and greater experience with cytological diagnosis.