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Glottis

The glottis is the central part of the larynx located between the supraglottis and subglottis. It comprises the true vocal cords, the anterior and posterior commissures, and the rima glottidis (the space between the vocal cords). Its main function is sound production, and it also plays a crucial role in airway protection during swallowing. Understanding the imaging characteristics of the glottis is essential for evaluating laryngeal pathology, including tumors, inflammation, and functional abnormalities.

MRI Appearance of the Glottis

T1-Weighted Images

  • The vocal cords (true vocal folds) are seen as thin, low-to-intermediate signal intensity structures.

  • The glottic space (rima glottidis) appears as a slit-like, low signal gap between the vocal cords.

  • Surrounding muscles and soft tissues have intermediate signal intensity.

  • Fat (such as in the paraglottic space) appears high signal intensity.

T2-Weighted Images

  • True vocal cords display relatively low signal intensity due to their fibrous and muscular content.

  • The glottic airway appears hyperintense (bright) due to air.

  • Paraglottic fat remains hyperintense.

  • Any pathology such as edema, inflammation, or mass may demonstrate increased signal intensity compared to the normal cord.

STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery) Images

  • STIR suppresses fat, making fatty tissue appear dark.

  • Edema, inflammation, or tumors appear hyperintense (bright).

  • Normal true vocal cords maintain low-to-intermediate signal.

  • Helps in better differentiation of abnormal tissue from adjacent fat.

CT Appearance of the Glottis

  • The glottis is best appreciated on thin-section, axial, and coronal images.

  • The true vocal cords are seen as thin, symmetric soft tissue bands extending from the anterior to posterior commissures.

  • The glottic space (rima glottidis) appears as a linear air density between the vocal cords.

MRI images

Glottis mri axial image