“…Three otolaryngology specialists (experienced observers) and three otolaryngology residents (less-experienced observers), blinded to the histologic diagnoses and macroscopic image of every lesion, independently evaluated each of the 68 series of NBI-CE images, aiming to detect PVC. In cases where the observer detected at least one PVC in one or more of the images available, the lesion was characterized as PVC-positive and therefore suspect for malignancy, dysplasia, or papilloma (Figure 1a In all other cases, the lesions were declared PVC-negative (Figure 2a For the statistical assessment of the results, the histological diagnoses were grouped into four categories: 1. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 2. dysplasia (including mild dysplasia to carcinoma in For the statistical assessment of the results, the histological diagnoses were grouped into four categories: 1. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 2. dysplasia (including mild dysplasia to carcinoma in For the statistical assessment of the results, the histological diagnoses were grouped into four categories: 1. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 2. dysplasia (including mild dysplasia to carcinoma in situ according to the WHO classification of 2005 or low to high-grade dysplasia according to the WHO classification of 2017 [13]), 3. papillomatosis, and 4. other benign lesions.…”