An objective evaluation of the laryngeal roof

Abstract

Aim: The anatomic measurements of the thyroid cartilage, which is an important part of the laryngeal roof, were calculated using computed tomography (CT) and the data obtained were compared in two groups of male and female. Material and Methods: A total of 148 adult patients were examined in this retrospective, cross-sectional study. All the patients were aged over18 year and presented to emergency ward between 2015 and 2016 due to trauma. Cervical vertebra CT was taken and the reformatted two-dimensional images were examined. Measurements were taken on the images at two separate levels of the interlaminar angle (ILA), thyroid prominence angle and the distance of the vocal cords from the lower edge of the thyroid. Results: The ILA in the glottis region was measured as 74.02°±17.23° for males and as 98.00°±12.78° for females. The difference between the genders was statistically significant (p<0.001). The distance of the vocal cords from the lower edge of the thyroid cartilage was measured as 7.12 ±2.29mm for males and 5.15±2.06mm for females. Conclusion: The results of the ILA measurements in this study were observed to be narrower in both genders than the measurements given in classic reference books. The ILA in both the regionsof glottis and supraglottiswas measured as a narrower angle in males than in females. These results show the presence of sexual dimorphism in the Kahramanmaraş region where the study was conducted