Transcutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of the preepiglottic space

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate transcutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of the preepiglottic space for staging supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: We studied 28 patients who underwent total or horizontal supr aglottic laryngectomy as their main therapy modality due to supraglottic sq uamous cell carcinoma, followed in some cases by adjustment radiation thera py. All the patients underwent transcutaneous fine needle aspiration. RESULTS: The cytopathologic examination of the material obtained by aspirat ion was compared to the histopathologic analysis of the laryngectomy specim ens; the efficiency was 96.4%. The method dill not cause lilly morbidity. CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of the preepiglott ic space is useful for preepiglottic space evaluation, with a high correlat ion with histopathologic results and no morbidity.