Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

A method for primary reconstruction of the dorsal oral cavity after tumor resection of T₂ or small T₃ tumors is presented. By combination of the masseter muscle flap with a cranial pedicled intraoral cheek transposition (IOCT) flap, a reconstruction of the defects with two layers of tissue is possible. This easy and functional reconstruction method is especially useful for high-risk patients because of the markedly reduced operating time.

Although adenoid cystic carcinoma may be found in multiple sites in the head and neck as well as other glandular sites throughout the body, nowhere is management of the disease more controversial than in the parotid gland. Here the facial nerve is at risk from both the disease and the treatment. Seventy-five cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the parotid were analyzed. Patients were placed in four groups, depending on the type of parotid surgery received as definitive therapy: (1) lateral lobectomy, (2) total parotidectomy, (3) radical parotidectomy without preoperative facial weakness, and (4) radical parotidectomy with preoperative facial weakness. Patients were assessed with regard to staging of the initial lesion, the status of surgical margins, and the use of postoperative radiotherapy. The incidence of local recurrence and distant metastases were also recorded. Survival statistics are presented for each group. Though associated with facial nerve sacrifice, radical parotidectomy appears to offer clear advantages in terms of long-term disease-free survival in patients with T₂ and T₃ lesions. The residual facial paralysis may be rehabilitated primarily or secondarily to reduce patient morbidity. Four of 16 patients (25%) with preoperative weakness achieved 10-year survival when radical parotidectomy was used. Obtaining clear margins at the initial setting appears to offer improved survival.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a destructive soft tissue infection that rarely involves the eyelids. Three cases of necrotizing fasciitis of the eyelids are described. Necrotizing fasciitis was preceded by minor forehead soft tissue trauma in two cases and occurred spontaneously in one. In two patients necrotizing fasciitis was bilateral and involved both the upper and lower eyelids. Review of these cases, in addition to 18 cases previously reported in the English literature, reveals a predominance in females, preceding minor local soft tissue trauma, frequent bilateral involvement, and an association with alcohol abuse and diabetes. In all of the patients, group A β-hemolytic streptococci were cultured from the wound. Early recognition of the disease process, prompt surgical debridement of the necrotic tissue, aggressive antimicrobial therapy, and delayed skin grafting combine to minimize morbidity.

Suture repair of a severed peripheral nerve is cumbersome, presents a focus for infection and neuroma formation, and does not always produce adequate stump alignment. An alternative form of repair is laser nerve welding, which is attractive because it does not introduce foreign material into the anastomotic site, it forms a circumferential seal, and it can be performed in difficult-to-reach areas. Laser repair has not been widely accepted both because the effect of laser irradiation on intact nerves is not well documented, and the anastomotic strength of the weld has been inferior to suture repair. In the first part of the present study, rat sciatic nerves were exposed and irradiated with increasing intensities from a Sharplan CO₂ and KTP laser to document nerve damage as recorded by decreases in the peak compound action potential. A new technique of laser repair (S-Q weld) was then developed that involved harvesting subcutaneous tissue from the adjacent dermis, wrapping it around the two opposed nerve stumps, and lasering it to the epineurium to effect a weld. The strength of the S-Q weld (6.1 grams) was considerably greater than that produced by laser welding alone. The third phase of the study compared regeneration at 2 months in severed rat sciatic nerves repaired by either microsuture or S-Q weld. Analysis of the compound action potential values indicated that the number of regenerating fibers after laser repair was greater than that after suture repair, although a significant difference could not be demonstrated. The rate of nerve dehiscence in the laser repair was unacceptably high, but the observed advantages of the techique indicate a need for further investigation.

Surgical management of chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma can be performed in a single-stage procedure, with revision surgery necessary because of recurrent disease or electively with unsatisfactory hearing results. We retrospectively reviewed 164 cases with cholesteatoma surgically managed from 1980 through 1986. In total there were 11 tympanoplasties, 36 canal wall-up mastoidectomies, 81 canal wall down modified radical mastoidectomies, and 36 radical mastoidectomies. The recidivistic rate for cholesteatoma in patients available for 5-year followup was 11% for tympanoplasties, 19% for canal wall-up mastoidectomies, 5% for canal wall-down modified radical mastoidectomies, and 0% for radical mastoidectomies. Hearing results were best in patients who required tympanoplasty alone, followed by those who underwent canal wall-down procedures. Single-stage management of cholesteatoma with modified radical mastoidectomy (canal wall-down) required fewer revisions for recidivistic cholesteatoma and achieved better hearing results than canal wall-up procedures. We conclude, therefore, that staging is not necessary, improved hearing may likely be achieved with a second procedure, but this is at the patient's discretion.

Patients with compensated unilateral vestibular lesions often have no detectable abnormality on conventional posturography. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a change in head orientation could improve the diagnostic sensitivity of the test for these patients. Twenty-four patients with known unilateral vestibulopathy and twenty-four normal controls were tested on the EqulTest apparatus in four head positions: head centered, head tilted right, head tilted left, and head extended. The sensory organization test was performed for each head position, using a single trial for each sensory condition. The test sequence was randomized to account for simple order effects. The subject's equilibrium was quantified by a performance index and a composite score of all sensory conditions was calculated for each head position. Patients with unilateral vestibulopathy had more postural sway with the head tilted contralateral to the side of lesion. The difference between the mean composite scores for ipsilateral and contralateral head tilts was statistically significant (p < 0.05). When individual trials were compared, equilibrium scores were significantly different only for sensory conditions that required vestibular input. Head extension increased postural sway in both patients and controls. Equilibrium scores were significantly different for all sensory conditions in which the support was sway-referenced. We suggest that the results of head extension in patients are similar to those found in normal individuals. However, equilibrium scores for right-left head flits are sensitive to the side of lesion and can provide additional information for patients with unilateral vestibulopathy.

The osteoplastic flap technique for exposure of the frontal sinus has been an accepted approach for cases in which obliteration or exploration of the frontal sinus has been necessary. Preservation of vascularized anterior pericranium is credited with reduction of the chances of anterior table bone resorption and subsequent cosmetic deformity. Disadvantages include the need for templates and unpredictable random fracturing in the supraorbital rim area, increasing the chance of potential injury to the periorbita and/or supraorbital neurovascular structures as well as limiting surgical exposure in some cases. Ten patients with chronic frontal sinusitis underwent frontal sinus obliteration using an anterior fable free bone graft technique over a 3 year period. The superior orbital neurovascular pedicles were easily identified and protected within its pericranial sheath in all cases. All patients had precise delineation of the frontal sinus anterior bone flap margins with no need for templates. Bone graft viability was documented in all patients, along with excellent cosmetic results comparable to the osteoplastic flap technique. A review of the literature and description of the technique are presented.

Recurring disease in the maxillary sinus, despite inferior meatal antrostomies, has led to the widespread use of middle meatal antrostomy or simple decompression of the natural ostium of the middle meatus in attempts to restore function to the maxillary sinus. We have reported recurrent disease in the maxillary sinus in patients with stage III or stage IV hyperplastic rhinosinusitis in whom attempts at functional surgery of the middle meatus were unsuccessful in reversal of retrograde changes. One hundred patients who had previously undergone intranasal sphenoethmoidectomy with removal of the middle turbinate, decompression of the maxillary ostium, and removal of overt hyperplastic disease of the middle meatus underwent revision transantral ethmoidectomy. All recurrent or residual diseased mucosa was removed, including polyps, occasional mucoceles, and hyperplastic changes that occurred despite patency of a middle meatal maxillary ostium. In many of these patients the maxillary sinus was widely marsupialized secondarily into the posterior nasal vault. While the initial overall polyp recurrence rate after intranasal sphenoethmoldectomy in these patients was as high as 19.2%, the rate of polyp recurrence after transantral revision was less than 5% in from 18 to 48 months postoperatively. The experience in this series suggests that mucosal changes have played a primary role in unsuccessful treatment, independent of whether or not adequate functional egress for maxillary secretion, drainage, or ventilation has been created or restored. A brief review, statistical evaluation of patients, and overall evaluation of the relationship of ethmoid surgery to maxillary surgery are presented.

The clinical nature of laryngeal amyloidosis has not been well established, and the natural history of the disease remains a controversial matter. To address these issues, we reviewed the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of 22 cases (11 men and 11 women; mean age, 56 years) of laryngeal amyloidosis. Hoarseness was the most common symptom, and the most frequent site affected was the false vocal cords. Six patients had concomitant tracheal amyloidosis. Paraffin blocks were available for immunostaining in 20 cases. Nineteen cases were positive for amyloid P component. λ-Light chains were detected in 12 cases and κ-light chains in 5; three cases did not show definite light-chain staining. Ten patients underwent repeated operations for persistent or recurrent respiratory tract disease. One patient died of progressive tracheobronchial amyloidosis, but systemic amyloidosis did not develop in any of the patients. Laryngeal amyloidosis is a form of localized amyloidosis characterized by monoclonal light-chain deposition. Recurrent respiratory tract disease is not uncommon, but the usual clinical course is relatively benign.

A consecutive series of 71 patients who underwent craniofacial resection between 1974 and 1990 for tumors that involved the anterior cranial base was reviewed. A variety of histologic diagnoses was present in this series. The most prevalent sites of origin included the nasal cavity, ethmoid sinus, and frontal sinus. Gross tumor removal was achieved in all patients, with 29 requiring orbital exenteration. Adjuvant radiation therapy was used in 25 patients. Two patients died of postoperative complications and 26 had complications that increased morbidity and length of hospitalization. Five-year overall survival was 56%, with a median survival of 4.2 years. Local control was observed in 40 of 56 patients with negative margins and 9 of 15 patients with positive margins. There was no difference in survival between previously treated and untreated patients. Survival varied considerably among the various pathologic diagnoses. Survival was related to the extent of disease. Patients with either dural or brain invasion had significantly decreased survival compared to those with no dural invasion. The operative procedure is safe, with acceptable morbidity and mortality, and offers respectable survival in properly selected patients.

Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the lacrimal and salivary glands. To identify a potential animal model for study of Sjögren's syndrome, an evaluation was made of lacrimal and salivary glands in the C3H/lpr autoimmune strain mouse at ages before (2 months) and after (5 months) systemic autoimmune disease onset at 3 to 4 months. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of, C3H/lpr lacrimal and salivary (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual) gland histopathology were performed using age-matched C3H/HeJ nonautoimmune mice to control for inflammation of nonautoimmune origin. No lacrimal or salivary gland inflammation was seen in either of the strains at 2 months of age and measures of systemic autoimmune disease were negative. At 5 months of age, the nonautoimmune C3H/HeJ controls showed a slight increase in lacrimal gland inflammation, but this was not significantly different from the 2 month old controls. A significant increase in lacrimal gland inflammation was found in the 5 month old C3H/lpr autoimmune mice in a histologic pattern similar to that of Sjögren's syndrome in human beings. Furthermore, the degree of inflammation was positively correlated with serum immune complexes and spleen weight. Sporadic inflammation of the submandibular gland was seen in both autoimmune and control mice, but this was neither statistically significant nor correlated with measures of autoimmunity. No significant inflammation was seen in the parotid or sublingual glands.