骨化喉頭軟骨の臨床的X線解剖について

X-RAY STUDIES ON CALCIUM DEPOSITED LARYNGEAL CARTILAGE

　I．はじめに

　頸部軟部撮影は喉頭悪性腫瘍，喉頭軟骨腫瘍，喉頭外傷，甲状軟骨切開時，披裂軟骨手術時，咽喉頭異物，甲状腺疾患，その他頸部の疾患の診療にさいして日常行なわれている検査法である。側面頸部撮影でX線診断学的に重要なのは，まず，air densityによる気道の輪廓，water densityによる咽頭軟部陰影，fat densityによる背椎前脂肪陰影，それにbone densityである頸部骨格ならびに骨化した喉頭軟骨その他の気道軟骨である。

　このうち最後の喉頭軟骨を主とする気道軟骨の骨化陰影については，性，年齢によつてさまざまな違いがあり，したがつて，骨化の形態を明確に知つておくことは，診断学上重要である。

　The interpretation of X-ray films for the laryngeal cartilages requires familiarity in the normal radiographic pictures. In this standpoint of view, 151 films of the male and 150 of the female were studied and the following conclusions were obtained.

　The thyroid cartilage―All male of more than 30 years old showed mineralization, while about half of female showed no significant deposition of calcium. In the group of more than 50 years old, the "figure 8" by Klein and Fletcher was found in 90% of the male but was not found in the female.

　The cricoid cartilage―The male tended to develop more calcium deposition than the female, but sexual differences were less significant than in the thyroid cartilage.

　The arytenoids―The horn-like figures were found in the half of the female but were not found in the male.

　Additionally, cases were presented in which calcification of the laryngeal cartilages masqueraded as foreign bodies.