Pre-operative CT cephalometry and functional outcomes after open partial horizontal laryngectomy

Objectives. To identify pre-operative radiological parameters that are able to predict the functional outcomes of open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL).Methods. The present retrospective study concerned a cohort of 96 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent pre-operative radiological staging with contrast -enhanced computerised tomography of the neck, and subsequent supracricoid or supratra-cheal laryngectomy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were run to assess the prognostic value of the main demographic and surgical variables, and the pre-operative cephalometric values, respectively, in terms of predicting patients' functional outcomes. Results. Multivariate analysis showed that a larger anteroposterior cross-sectional dimen-sion of the aero-digestive tract in the mid-retroglossal area, and a greater distance between the genial tubercle and the hyoid bone in the mid-sagittal plane correlated significantly with better functional outcomes in terms of decannulation rate at discharge.Conclusions. Our findings show that larger pre-operative upper aero-digestive tract diam-eters and volumes coincide with better post-operative functional outcomes after OPHL.