The usefulness of narrow-band imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of vocal fold leukoplakia.

OBJECTIVE: This research was aimed to explore the efficacy of narrow-band imaging (NBI) on distinguishing the degree of dysplasia of vocal fold leukoplakia.

METHODS: Patients were examined by flexible endoscopy, under white light endoscopy (WLE) and NBI. 78 lesions were divided into two groups according to the NBI classification. Group 1: non-dysplasia (ND), including squamous hyperplasia with hyperkeratosis or parakeratosis; Group 2: squamous hyperplasia with mild or moderate dysplasia (MD) or severe dysplasia (SD), or carcinoma in situ (CIS).

RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of NBI for Group 1 and Group 2 was 69.70% (23/33) and 95.56% (43/45), respectively, and the kappa index was 0.711 and a p value < .05, which was considered statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: The NBI could roughly estimate the degree of dysplasia. Differentiating between ND, MD, SD, and CIS, which may be useful for clinicians on selecting suitable therapies.