Clinical significance of intraoperative surgical margin study in supracricoid laryngectomy

In reviewing the margin study of 61 SCL patients, 11% resulted in positive margin. All except one patient with positive margin attained negative finding with additional samplings. Decision making regarding the resection margin can be difficult in patients with pT3-pT4 stages and postradiation status. Because of the exclusive identification of positive margin at the ipsilateral posterior and inferior edges, the margin study is strongly recommended at these sites. The possibility of converting SCL to TL should be discussed preoperatively during the informed consent process. The margin study is an effective modality for ensuring the validity of SCL and is recommended for all SCL procedures.