DIMENSIONS OF THE LARYNGEAL FRAMEWORK IN ADULTS

The increasing application of sophisticated electrophysiological, radi ological and surgical methods to the diagnosis and treatment of laryng eal disorders requires a profound knowledge of the size and proportion s of the human larynx and it's cartilaginous components. Only inadequa te data regarding this subject have so far been accessible. The laryng es of 53 patients (28 male and 25 female, age 25-88 years, in the mean s 59 years) were removed during routine autopsy 12-48 h post mortem an d immediatly submitted to morphometric investigation. None of the pati ents had histories or visible signs of laryngeal disease. Anatomical p reparations were performed with customary surgical tools and morphomet ric measurements then carried out with a pair of compasses and a calli per rule. A total of 95 measurements were performed on each larynx. Th ese included, aside from evaluation of the whole organ, identification of the internal and external diameters of the cricoid cartilage, heig ht and length of the thyroid alae in different planes, angle of thyroi d laminae, height of arytenoid cartilage, width and length of epiglott ic cartilage, and internal and extrenal diameter of first tracheal rin g. The results obtained provide a full scale of data determining the s ize and extent not only of it's cartilaginous components, but of the l aryngeal framework as a whole. The knowlege of these data may contribu te to a precise positionning of electrodes in laryngeal electromyograp hy, to the Planning of laryngeal framework surgery, and to the analysi s of CT- and MRI-scans of the larynx.