Quantifying Tumor and Vasculature Deformations during Laryngoscopy

Retractors and scopes used in head and neck surgery to provide adequate surgical exposure also deform critical structures in the region. Surgeons typically use preoperative imaging to plan and guide their tumor resections, however the large tissue deformation resulting from placement of retractors and scopes reduces the utility of preoperative imaging as a reliable roadmap. We quantify the extent of tumor and vasculature deformation in patients with tumors of the larynx and pharynx undergoing diagnostic laryngoscopy. A mean tumor displacement of 1.02 cm was observed between the patients’ pre- and intra-operative states. Mean vasculature displacement at key bifurcation points was 0.99 cm. Registration to the hyoid bone can reduce tumor displacement to 0.67 cm and improve carotid stem angle deviations but increase overall vasculature displacement. The large deformation results suggest limitations in reliance on preoperative imaging and that using specific landmarks intraoperatively or having more intraoperative information could help to compensate for these deviations and ultimately improve surgical success.