Using Dynamic CT to Explore the Effect of Disease Course on Arytenoid Dislocation.

Objective: Using dynamic computed tomography (CT) to explore the structural characteristics of the larynx in patients with arytenoid dislocation and compare the impact of the dislocation course on the structural changes of the larynx.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with arytenoid dislocation and 10 healthy subjects were selected as the dislocation group and the normal group, respectively. The 23 patients with arytenoid dislocation were divided into groups with dislocation duration less than 3 months (group A) and dislocation duration more than 3 months (group B). Dynamic CT scans were performed on each subjects, and a series of images from inhalation to phonation were collected for three-dimensional reconstruction. The differences in bilateral vocal cord height, area of laryngeal chamber, and glottic gap between the three groups were compared.

Results: There were significant differences in bilateral vocal cord height and area of laryngeal chamber between dislocation group and the normal group. During phonation, the height difference between the bilateral vocal cords in group B was significantly smaller than that in group A. There was a significant difference in the area of the affected laryngeal chamber between groups A and B during inhalation to phonation (P < 0.05). The area of the affected laryngeal chamber in group B was larger than that in group A. There is no significant difference in the glottic gap ratio between the two dislocation groups.

Conclusions: Dynamic CT can quantitatively evaluate the structural characteristics of the larynx in patients with arytenoid dislocation. As the disease progresses, the structural characteristics of the larynx in patients with arytenoid dislocation will change.