Partial laryngectomy imaging

The treatment of early stage laryngeal cancer is radiation therapy in the majority of cases, with surgery reserved for salvage therapy. Some institutions advocate partial laryngectomy procedures as primary treatment due to improved voice preservation with equivalent local control. The partial laryngectomy includes several variations of laryngeal resection to incorporate differing lesion locations and their patterns of oncologic spread. This serves as a challenge to the evaluating radiologist as post-surgical and post-radiation therapy changes distort the anatomy, and may not reflect recurrent or persistent disease. This article discusses the types of partial laryngectomy, as well as the indications and possible complications of the procedures. Additionally, the appearance of expected changes is outlined in contrast to recurrent or persistent disease.