Contact endoscopy of the larynx: a quantitative study

Contact endoscopy is a technique of obtaining detailed magnified images of living epithelium, using a modified glass rod lens endoscope placed on the surface of the tissue. The technique has been extensively described in gyna ecological, and more recently, laryngeal and nasal tissues. However, no qua ntitative studies of its diagnostic accuracy yet exist. A prospective parti ally blinded controlled study of eight cases with a variety of laryngeal pa thologies is described. A single pathologist with no knowledge of the ultim ate histological diagnoses successfully identified six of eight laryngeal p athologies on contact endoscopic findings, while the other two cases were i dentified to a degree of accuracy that was sufficient to positively identif y the need for standard tissue biopsy. The advantages and disadvantages of the technique are described, along with suggestions for its role in clinica l practice.