The role of humanitarian missions in surgical training for maxillofacial surgery residents: SOS Face Marrakesh experience

Resident´s participation in humanitarian work has been controversial, while it´s recognized by some authors to bring significant value to the resident´s education. Herein, we aim to provide an evidence of the role of humanitarian missions in the surgical training as part of residency program, through report of a 10 years experience of SOS FACE Marrakesh, a non-benefit association within maxillofacial surgery department of Marrakesh. Its operating mode is to organize humanitarian missions coupled to targeted surgical training program, which is framed by educational objectives using a pedagogic portfolio. As a result, 60.6% of the residents felt an improvement in surgical skills, and the evaluation of residents before and after the targeted training showed an increase of 57% in average clinical knowledge, especially the diagnosis part. In conclusion, humanitarian work helps to improve surgical skills in addition to enhancement of human values and we suggest incorporating volunteerism in residency programs

A columellar deformity caused by a congenital schwannoma

Schwannoma is a benign neoplasm arising from Schwann cells of the peripheral nerve. It very rarely located in the nasal tip. We report two cases of congenital schwannoma of the nasal columella and discuss the surgical approach of such tumor.Case report: Case 1: An 18 year-old female was referred to us for a very slow growing tumor of the columella. The deformity had been present since the birth. The patient underwent an excision of its tumor using an open rhinoplasty approach. The histological examination revealed a schwannoma. No recurrence was found within 2 years of follow up.Case 2: A 4 month male baby presenting a congenital tumor of his columella. He underwent an excision using open rhinoplasty approach. The histological examination showed a plexiform schwannoma.Discussion: Schwannoma of the nasal tip is a benign tumor that gradually causes aesthetic and functional disorders. Congenital schwannoma of columella is an extremely rare clinical situation. Its diagnosis and treatment can pose certain challenges. The treatment is surgical excision and histological analysis of the specimen. Open rhinoplasty approach provided a good surgical exploration and a good cosmetic result on this nasal tip tumor