Sagittal computed tomography before and after XRT

Image A shows a patient's CT before neck RT. Image B is an image from the same patient's CT four weeks after neck RT. It shows diffuse tissue thickening, indicating edema of the upper aerodigestive tract. After RT, the epiglottis is edematous (thick arrow) and the airway lumen is significantly narrowed (arrow). These changes increase the risk of difficulty with direct or video laryngoscopy, and tracheal intubation.