Head and Neck Diagnostic Procedures

Abstract

November 2004

Section 2 Head and Neck

4 Head and Neck Diagnostic Procedures

Adam S. Jacobson, M.D.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Mark L. Urken, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Head and neck surgery deals with a wide range of pathologic conditions affecting the upper aerodigestive tract and the endocrine organs of the head and neck. As in other areas of the body, the etiology of these conditions can be inflammatory, infectious, congenital, neoplastic, or traumatic. This chapter discusses the anatomic considerations, clinical evaluation, and procedures used in the diagnosis of head and neck disorders, with particular attention to cancer. Information is provided on the uses of a variety of diagnostic (and sometimes therapeutic) procedures. These include rhinoscopy, rigid nasal endoscopy, indirect laryngoscopy, and endoscopic procedures; biopsy procedures, such as fine-needle aspiration; and imaging procedures. Anatomic illustrations detail the structures of the head and neck, the paranasal sinuses, and the larynx. Other figures show a direct laryngoscope and normal vocal folds visualized by direct laryngoscopy, a rigid endoscope, and a rigid bronchoscope and the fiberoptic rods used to provide illumination. This chapter contains five references.

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