2.1 Study subjects
Patients with hoarseness as their chief complaint undergoing
laryngoscopy from January 2009 to December 2020 were selected. Patients
with vocal cord leukoplakia were included. All patients had a definite
pathological diagnosis. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1)
patients with obvious cauliflower or ulcerative masses, polyps, cysts,
Reinke’s edema, and papilloma on the surface of vocal cords; (2) lesions
without definite pathological diagnosis; (3) patients with low-quality
laryngoscope images that did not meet the requirements for morphological
assessment; and (4) patients with lidocaine allergy, severe uncontrolled
dyspnea, unstable angina, uncontrolled hemorrhagic disease, or the
inability to understand and sign informed consent. This study was
approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital. All patients
provided written informed consent before the examination.