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Jun Shao, MD; Jennifer Stern, BS; Zheng-Min Wang, MD; David Hanson, MD; Jack Jiang, MD, PhD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002;128:941-944.

Objectives  Rigid telescopy is widely used in otorhinolaryngology for endolaryngeal visualization. Laryngeal telescopes are made with several angles, including 70° and 90°. In this study, the performances of 70° and 90° telescopes are compared and evaluated on the basis of ability to visualize specific regions of the larynx.

Methods  Each subject (N = 121) received evaluation with both 70° and 90° telescopes. The investigator used the telescopes to attempt to visualize 4 key regions: (1) the subglottic area, (2) the pyriform fossae, (3) the anterior commissure, and (4) the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis. The telescopes were connected to a video camera and videotape recordings were made. The percentage of attempted visualizations that were successful was calculated for both the 70° and the 90° telescopes.

Results  The 70° telescope provided successful visualization of the subglottic area in 111 patients (91.7%), of the pyriform fossae in 115 (95.0%), of the anterior commissure in 112 (92.6%), and of the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis in 114 (94.2%). The 90° telescope provided successful visualization of the subglottic area in 103 patients (85.1%), of the pyriform fossae in 112 (92.6%), of the anterior commissure in 100 (82.6%), and of the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis in 102 (84.3%). Differences in rates of visualization were significant for the posterior surface of the epiglottis, the anterior commissure, and the subglottic area.

Conclusions  The 70° telescope provided a significantly higher rate of successful visualization for 3 of the 4 regions studied. This result contributes information that may help the clinical examiner select an instrument of choice.

From the Department of Otolaryngology, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai, China (Drs Shao and Wang); the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Ill (Ms Stern and Dr Hanson); and Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison (Dr Jiang).