Safety of (rhino)septoplasty without nasal packing in routine ENT practice.

PURPOSE: This retrospective study assesses the risks and benefits linked to the non-use of nasal packing after a (rhino)septoplasty, compared with post-operative care with anterior nasal packing such as Merocel®. METHODS: Complication rates observed during the first week after surgery were compared between groups with and without use of classic nasal packing over a large sample of 534 patients, who had undergone either a closed or open procedure, with bilateral turbinoplasty, and with or without osteotomies. Complications listed include epistaxis, haematoma, impetiginization, septal perforation, hyperalgesia, and dyspnoea. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed between the group with and without packing regarding the immediate post-operative complications of epistaxis (4.4% of the cases with nasal packing versus 3% without, p = 0.918) and impetiginization (3% of the cases with nasal packing versus 4.2% without, p = 0.478). The technique used, as well as any osteotomies performed, had no impact on the results. CONCLUSION: Non-use of nasal packing after a (rhino)septoplasty is a safe alternative to classic post-operative methods. Provided that there is a rigorous surgical technique and strict clinical control, it should be used as a principal technique in any routine practice due to its safety for patients immediately post-surgery

Extracranial sinonasal tract meningioma: a case report.

Extracranial meningioma is an unusual tumor, mainly found in the head and neck area. Before surgical removal and histopathological examination, this diagnosis is rarely considered. We report a case of an extracranial meningioma located in the frontal sinuses of a 65-year-old-woman. Symptomatology included trouble of vision due to bilateral exophtalmos and mild headaches. Bilateral exophtalmos was secondary to the development of huge frontal mucoceles. These mucoceles grew slowly due to the frontal recesses blockage by the extracranial meningioma. External approach was performed with removal of the mucocele walls and of the extracranial meningioma itself. The frontal recesses were blocked with synthetic cement, and orbital roofs were reconstructed with a polydioxanon-sheet (PDS). Frontal sinuses were excluded and filled with bone bank grafts. A review of the literature on extracranial meningioma and a discussion about the surgical management of this case are proposed in this paper

Conservation surgery for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer

The charts of 173 patients treated by conservation laryngectomy and pharyngolaryngectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The patients treated by endoscopic laser resection were excluded of this study. Glottic carcinoma was diagnosed in 101 patients, supraglottic carcinoma in 44 patients, hypopharyngeal carcinoma in 24 patients and oropharyngeal carcinoma in 4 patients. The median follow-up period was 44 months, 84/101 glottic cancer, 34/44 supraglottic cancer, 23/24 hypopharyngeal cancer and 2/4 oropharyngeal cancer were staged as T1 and T2. A voice-sparing external approach was carried on in 20 patients with locally advanced tumor (T3-T4). At time of the last follow-up, 132 patients (77%) were alive when 41 patients (23%) died. Overall survival rates for patients treated for T1-T2 glottic cancer at 3, 5 and 10 years were 90, 90 and 78% respectively. Overall survival rates for patients treated for T1-T2 supralottic cancer at 3, 5 and 10 years were 73, 68 and 48% respectively. Overall survival rates for patients treated for T1-T2 hypopharyngeal cancer at 3 and 5 years were 74 and 37% respectively. The site of the primary tumor (glottic versus supraglottic or hypopharynx) showed significant impact on survival (P = 0.0025)). Regarding survival, T stage and N stage were not found statistically significant

Conservation laryngeal surgery for selected pyriform sinus cancer

AIMS: This study reports the treatment of a cohort of patients with pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma, using conservative surgery and radiotherapy. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with pyriform sinus SCC were treated between 1986 and 2001, using partial laryngopharyngectomy with or without complementary radiotherapy. Seventy-six percent had stage III-IV lesions. Quality of life questionnaire and clinical examination were used for evaluation of laryngeal function. RESULTS: Conservation surgery was undertaken. All patients underwent neck dissection. Two thirds of the patients received post-operative radiotherapy. Reconstruction was achieved by local muscular flap in 13 cases, radial forearm free flap in 18 and pectoralis major flap in three. Five-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were 50 and 65%, respectively. Successful laryngeal function preservation with local control was achieved in 80% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Partial laryngopharyngectomy is a suitable treatment for early and selected advanced stage pyriform sinus carcinoma with a good functional and oncologic outcome

Aggressive soft tissue myoepithelial carcinoma in the neck : a case report

Soft tissue has been recently recognized as a primary site for myoepithelial tumour and only a small number has been reported to occur in the head and neck. Although the majority of myoepithelial tumours of the soft tissue are benign, some can be aggressive and develop distant metastases. We describe a patient with malignant myoepithelial tumour occurring in the soft tissue of the head and neck and rapid metastatic progression. In contrast to previous publications warning for overtreatment of patients with myoepithelial tumours, our report suggests that early and correct diagnosis followed by a radical therapeutic approach is required when there is evidence of malignancy

Prevalence of lymph nodes in the apex of level V: a plea against the necessity to dissect the apex of level V in mucosal head and neck cancer

BACKGROUND: We assessed the prevalence of histologically proven normal or invaded lymph nodes in the apex of level V. METHODS: Seventy neck dissections were performed in 41 patients with mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Fifty-one neck dissections were performed in 30 previously untreated patients (group 1); 19 neck dissections were carried out in 11 patients previously irradiated (group 2). RESULTS: Pathologic analysis was unable to identify any lymph node in 70% of the apex specimens. In group 1, no lymph nodes were detected in 63%, whereas one or more noninvaded lymph nodes were present in 37%; in group 2, no lymph nodes were identified in 89%, whereas one or more normal lymph nodes were found in 11% (p = .03). Metastatic lymph nodes were never identified. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of lymph nodes in the apex was 30%. No invaded lymph nodes were identified. In addition to anatomic evidence, these results suggest that dissection of the apex is not necessary in mucosal head and neck SCC