Morphometric measurements of the cartilaginous larynx: An anatomic correlate of laryngeal surgery

Background. The increasing application of sophisticated methods of laryngea l framework surgery requires a profound knowledge of the size and proportio ns of the human larynx and its cartilaginous components. Only inadequate da ta regarding this subject have so far been accessible. The aim of this stud y was to collect exact and reliable morphometric data of the human laryngea l framework. Materials and Methods. Larynges from 98 corpses (52 male, 46 female) were r emoved during autopsy 4-64 hours postmortem and processed without delay or fixation. Following a standard routine for preparation, 28 parameters were measured on thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, arytenoid cartilage, epig lottis, and the larynx as a whole organ. None of the patients had histories or visible signs of laryngeal disease. Anatomical preparations were perfor med with customary surgical tools and morphometric measurements then carrie d out with a pair of compasses and a caliper rule. Results. A total of 5,100 measurements was performed on 98 larynges. These included, aside from evaluation of the whole organ, identification of the i nternal and external diameters of the cricoid cartilage, height and length of the thyroid alae in different planes, angle of thyroid alae, height of a rytenoid cartilage, width and length of epiglottic cartilage, and position of the anterior commissure related to the thyroid cartilage. The results pr ovide a full scale of data determining the size and extent not only of the cartilaginous components, but of the laryngeal framework as a whole. Mean v alues, standard deviations, and sample sizes are given for every parameter separately for both sexes. Conclusion. This study provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the dimensions of the adult human larynx. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 21: 743-750, 1999.