Nevus comedonicus associated with epidermoid cyst

Nevus comedonicus (NC) is a type of an epidermal nevus which was first described in 1895 by Kofmann. Clinically, it is characterized by linear lesion comprising numerous dilated follicular openings with keratinous plugs resembling classical comedones, seen mainly on the head and neck area followed by trunk and upper arm. Treatment options of NC include topical therapy, laser, and surgery. NC associated with epidermoid cyst is rare. We report here a case of NC affecting middle part of the neck over left sternocleidomastoid muscle with epidermoid cysts which was surgically treated

Tracheal T-Tube Stent for Laryngotracheal Stenosis: Ten Year Experience

Introduction: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcome following stenting over a period of 10 years in patients with chronic laryngotracheal stenosis.   Materials and Methods: Between 2000–2010, out of 111 patients with laryngotracheal trauma, 71 underwent tracheal        T-stenting for laryngotracheal stenosis in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India. All 71 patients underwent stenting by tracheal T-stent through an external approach. The follow-up period ranged from 3–10 years (mean, 3.2 years). The tracheal T-stent was removed after a minimum period of 6–12 months.   Results: The majority of patients in this study were aged less than 10 years or between the ages of 20–30 years. A pre-operative tracheostomy (emergency or elective) was performed in all patients. of 71 patients, decannulation was not possible in six (8%).   Conclusion:  Management of laryngotracheal stenosis is a challenging problem that demands a multidisciplinary approach from surgical teams well trained in this field. The ideal treatment option should be individualized according to patient characteristics. The use of silastic stents has both advantages and disadvantages

Retroanalytical Study of Epidemiological Factors of Rhinosporidiosis

Introduction Rhinosporidiosis is a granulomatous disease of humans and animals that is caused by Rhinosporidium Seeberi. This disease is endemic in certain states of India, like Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, and eastern Madhya Pradesh. We conducted a retrospective, record-based study in the department of ENT & Head and Neck Surgery of a tertiary case institute in Chhattisgarh. Objective To study the epidemiology of rhinosporidiosis, especially host risk factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective, record-based study in the department of ENT & Head and Neck Surgery of a tertiary case institute in Chhattisgarh, India. A total of 55 histologically proven rhinosporidiosis patients who were surgically treated in the department over a period of 2 years from November 2014 to November 2016 were included. Results This study involved 55 histologically proven rhinosporidiosis cases. There were 87% males and 12% females. Most of the cases belonged to lower socioeconomic status (92.73%). All the cases had history of pond bathing. Of 55 cases, 27 cases (49.09%) had O+ blood group followed by A+ in 10 (18.18%), B+ in 9 (16.36) and AB+ in 9 (16.36%). Conclusion The results of the study showed that the disease was associated with the male gender, young and middle age, low socioeconomic status, rural background, pond bathing and O+ blood group

Cervical Chondrosarcoma: A critical review with an illustration of a rare technically challenging case

Chondrosarcoma of the cervical spine is an extremely rare tumour. The indolent course and neglected behaviour of the patient often give enough time for tumour expansion. The surgical management of these types of tumours is challenging. En bloc resection is a proven ideal treatment but it is not always feasible in this region because of the proximity to vital neurovascular structures which explains the recurrence and poor prognosis of this tumour. The role of radiation and chemotherapy in these tumours is limited. We are highlighting unique huge cervical chondrosarcoma which is not mentioned in literature and its management along with a review of 34 cases, published so far

Comparative analysis of various clinical specimens in detection of SARS-CoV-2 using rRT-PCR in new and follow up cases of COVID-19 infection: Quest for the best choice.

BackgroundAn appropriate specimen is of paramount importance in Real Time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) based diagnosis of novel coronavirus (nCoV) disease (COVID-19). Thus, it's pertinent to evaluate various diversified clinical specimens' diagnostic utility in both diagnosis and follow-up of COVID-19.MethodsA total of 924 initial specimens from 130 COVID-19 symptomatic cases before initiation of treatment and 665 follow up specimens from 15 randomly selected cases comprising of equal number of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), oropharyngeal swab (OPS), combined NPS and OPS (Combined swab), sputum, plasma, serum and urine were evaluated by rRT-PCR.ResultsDemographic analysis showed males (86) twice more affected by COVID-19 than females (44) (p = 0.00001). Combined swabs showed a positivity rate of 100% followed by NPS (91.5%), OPS (72.3%), sputum (63%), while nCoV was found undetected in urine, plasma and serum specimens. The lowest cycle threshold (Ct) values of targeted genes E, ORF1b and RdRP are 10.56, 10.14 and 12.26 respectively and their lowest average Ct values were found in combined swab which indicates high viral load in combined swab among all other specimen types. Analysis of 665 follow-up multi-varied specimens also showed combined swab as the last specimen among all specimen types to become negative, after an average 6.6 (range 4-10) days post-treatment, having lowest (15.48) and average (29.96) Ct values of ORF1b respectively indicating posterior nasopharyngeal tract as primary nCoV afflicted site with high viral load.ConclusionThe combined swab may be recommended as a more appropriate specimen for both diagnosis and monitoring of COVID-19 treatment by rRT-PCR for assessing virus clearance to help physicians in taking evidence-based decision before discharging patients. Implementing combined swabs globally will definitely help in management and control of the pandemic, as it is the need of the hour