Effectiveness of narrow band imaging in the detection of premalignant and malignant lesions of the larynx: Validation of a new endoscopic clinical classification

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the value of narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy in the diagnosis of pharyngolaryngeal lesions and to demonstrate the validity of a new NBI-based classification of their vascular pattern. METHODS: From 2009 to 2011, 248 patients with pharyngolaryngeal lesions underwent NBI-endoscopic evaluation. NBI findings were classified into 5 types according to the Ni classification and were compared with histopathological reports. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV were 97.4%, 84.6%, 92.7%, 91.6%, and 95.1%, respectively. Ninety-eight percent of histologically malignant lesions corresponded to type V endoscopic pattern, whereas 84.8% of the non-neoplastic lesions corresponded to a type I to IV pattern. CONCLUSION: The NBI ability to detect changes in the mucosal microvasculature can be useful for distinguishing nonmalignant from malignant lesions. An internationally accepted NBI-endoscopic classification may contribute to the further definition of the diagnostic validity of this technique.