Age-Related Changes in the Epithelium of the Monkey Larynx

An experiment was designed to measure the area of subglottic squamous epithelium in a group of 14 adult monkeys. The animals were much older than any so far available for medical research. The larynges were strained using pyronin Y, which stains respiratory epithelium magenta and squamous epithelium pale pink. The areas of squamous epithelium inferior to the free margin of the vocal cord were measured. The results showed that the subglottic epithelium increased with age (r = + 0.61, p = <0.05). This finding may have importance in the staging of laryngeal carcinoma.