Pharyngeal swallowing sound profile assessed after partial and total laryngectomy.

Recently, we described three components of a normal pharyngeal swallowing sound. The aim of the present study was to identify variations of these components using synchronized acoustic-radiological data in partially laryngectomized (PL) and totally laryngectomized (TL) patients before and after surgery. In this prospective study, from January 2003 to December 2006 we enrolled 14 patients in a PL group and 9 patients in a TL group. A fluoroscopy camera and a microphone were connected to a computer to obtain acoustic-radiological data (25 images/s). The subjects were asked to perform six deglutitions of 10 ml of barium suspension. The average durations of the sound variables were measured before and after surgery. The duration of the preoperative pharyngeal sound was 602 ms in the PL group and 562 ms in the TL group. It was significantly decreased after the TL (296 ms) and was increased after the PL (740 ms). A typical profile of the swallowing sound for each group was obtained. This study allowed us to describe the main variations of the pharyngeal swallowing sound induced by PL and TL. This noninvasive tool could be useful to assess postoperative swallowing function.

[Cavernous hemangioma of the nasal cavity]. / Hémangiome caverneux de la fosse nasale.

OBJECTIVES: To study the circumstances of diagnosis, imaging techniques and therapeutic management of cavernous hemangioma of the nasal cavity. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We report the case of a 60-year-old woman, who presented epistaxis CT scan and nasal obstruction. RESULTS: Rhinoscopy showed a purplish, regular mass that filled the left nasal cavity. Computed tomographic and MRI images showed the tumor in contact close to the middle turbinate. An arteriography with selective embolization was performed. The lesion was completely removed by endonasal endoscopic surgery. The histological examination showed a cavernous hemangioma of the nasal cavity. CONCLUSION: Even if cavernous hemangiomas are rare, the practitioner must suggest the diagnosis if the patient has a purplish bleeding mass of the nasal cavity. CT scan, MRI, and arteriography can help make the diagnosis. Before surgical management, embolization is recommended.

Expression of sex steroid hormone receptors in C cell hyperplasia and medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Previous studies have shown that C cells are twice as numerous in male than in female thyroids and that C cell hyperplasia (CCH) is much more frequent in men. These findings suggest regulation involving sex steroid hormones through the expression of sex steroid hormone receptors on C cells. To investigate this hypothesis, we performed an immunohistochemical study of estrogen receptors alpha (ER alpha) and beta (ER beta), progesterone receptors (PR), and androgen receptors (AR) on specimens from a series of 40 patients operated on for a medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC; n=28; female 18, male 10) and/or CCH (n=19; female 6, male 13). ER beta was the only receptor to be consistently expressed in CCH (100%) and MTC (96.5%), whereas ER alpha was never expressed. PR and AR were rarely expressed in MTC (7 and 14%, respectively). AR was expressed in half the CCH cases (53%), with a trend to male predominance (61% in men vs 33% in women). Our study is the first to describe ER beta expression in CCH. In addition, our findings suggest that CCH, and possibly MTC, might be influenced by sex steroid hormones, namely, estrogens and androgens, through the expression of ER beta and AR on C cells.

Massive infra-clinic invasion of the facial nerve by a myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid.

We report a new case of myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland in an 8-year-old girl. This is the first case published in a child. The parotid tumour was slightly tender and measured almost 2 cm in diameter. There was no associated facial nerve paralysis despite surgical and histologic evidence of massive facial nerve infiltration. We performed total parotidectomy with resection of the intra-mastoid portion of the facial nerve completed with prophylactic lymph node dissection. Eight months after surgery, MRI revealed a deep-lying recurrence, which required reintervention. There has been no subsequent recurrence 18 months after surgery. Microscopic examination of operative specimens confirmed the diagnosis of parotid myoepithelial carcinoma with fusiform cells. Immunohistochemical markers were positive for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, smooth muscle actin, S-100 protein, anti-desmine and anti-vimentine. This difficult to diagnose tumour, which was individualised by the World Health Organisation in 1991, is considered a moderate to high-grade malignancy when it develops in a pleomorphic adenoma or appears de novo.

Retrospective case study of carbon dioxide laser stapedotomy with lens-based and mirror-based micromanipulators.

Most clinical studies on carbon dioxide (CO2) (lambda = 10.6 mm) laser stapedotomy have been carried out with the laser guided by a conventional lens-based micromanipulator, with the attendant risks of correct aiming (HeNe) and surgical (CO2) beam misalignment. Hence, engineering advances have attempted to improve laser targeting as well as the spot size focus. The development of the mirror-based micromanipulator was a response to this need but no data concerning its use in stapes surgery is available. We performed a retrospective case-series review of patients treated for otosclerosis between 1992 and 2000. Primary laser stapedotomy was performed in 218 consecutive patients. In the first 78 procedures, the aiming beam (HeNe, lambda = 632 nm) and surgical beam (CO2) were guided with a conventional lens-based micromanipulator whereas in the subsequent 140 procedures, they were guided by using a mirror-based micromanipulator. Hearing was tested at six and 12 months. The mean (SD) airbone gap was 5 dB (4.5) and 4.5 dB (3.9). The mean closure was 15 dB (9.9) and 14.4 dB (9.4). The mean change in the high-tone bone-conduction level was 5.5 dB (7.3) and 7.8 dB (7.5). Overheating of the facial canal produced transient facial paralysis in one case and was due to misalignment of the beams with the lens-based micromanipulator. Use of the mirror-based micromanipulator obviated the need to verify alignment. The light-weight and superior optical yield of this system made it possible to reduce the number of impacts on the footplate by the integral restitution of the energy source. This study demonstrated that the CO2 laser is an effective method for performing stapedotomy. In addition, microtrauma to the labyrinth is reduced by its ability to perform calibrated footplate fenestration without mechanical or vibrational injury to the inner ear. The optical reflection micromanipulator simplified beam alignment and enhanced surgical comfort.

Hypopharyngeal perforation: an unusual complication of transesophageal echocardiography.

Physicians frequently use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for clinical cardiology and during surgery. It is considered a safe procedure, and only a few cases of complications have been reported in the literature. We present the case of a 78-year-old man who experienced a perforation of the hypopharynx following TEE. The perforation went unrecognized for 10 days. Computed tomography identified a cervical abscess, which was drained. The patient recovered and was doing well at the 1-year follow-up. Hypopharyngeal perforation is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. Surgeons should know and recognize its clinical signs to prevent its occurrence.

Indications of cricohyoidoepiglottopexy versus anterior frontal laryngectomy: the role of contralateral vocal fold spread.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the retrospective study was to compare the indications, the postoperative outcomes, and the survival of the supracricoid laryngectomy with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy and the anterior frontal laryngectomy. METHOD: Nineteen patients who underwent cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (group I) and 23 patients who underwent reconstructive anterior frontal laryngectomy (group II) from January 1992 and December 2004 have been reviewed. We have compared their respective indications and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: There were no differences for median time before decanulation. Median time for removal feeding tube, for first oral alimentation, and hospital stay period were significantly shorter in group II. Five-year survival was 85% (group I) and 95% (group II). Local tumor control was obtained in 83% in group I and in 87% in group II. CONCLUSION: Cricohyoidoepiglottopexia (CHEP) was used more often than anterior frontal laryngectomy when there was contralateral vocal fold spread but resulted in longer postoperative outcomes.

Origin of the sound components during pharyngeal swallowing in normal subjects.

The aim of this study was to identify the origin of swallowing sound components by using modern techniques that can provide numeric, synchronized acoustic-radiologic data. We enrolled 15 volunteer subjects (10 men and 5 women, average age = 29.5 +/- 8 years) and used an X-ray camera connected to a video acquisition card to obtain synchronized acoustic-radiologic data (25 images/s). The subjects were asked to swallow 10 ml of a barium suspension. Each sound component was associated with a specific position of the bolus and the anatomic structure that was moving. The average duration of the pharyngeal sound was 690 +/- 162 ms. The durations of the laryngeal ascension sound and the laryngeal release sound were significantly different (72 +/- 38 ms and 106 +/- 47 ms, p < 0.001). The upper-sphincter opening sound was present in 100% of the recordings. Its duration was 185 +/- 103 ms and was significantly different from the two other sounds. The duration of the first interval was 108 +/- 44 ms and the duration of the second was 236 +/- 139 ms. This study allowed us to determine the origin of the three main sound components of the pharyngeal swallowing sound with respect to movements in anatomic structures and the different bolus positions.

Sound component duration of healthy human pharyngoesophageal swallowing: a gender comparison study.

Cervical auscultation is a noninvasive technique for studying swallowing that was first used in the 1960s. The aim of our study was to use the numeric acoustic recording technique for analyzing swallowing sound signals in healthy subjects while they ingested a defined volume and consistency of a specific substance. Twenty males and ten females were included in the study and given 10 ml of a barium suspension to swallow. A microphone was placed on the skin overlying the lateral border of the trachea, directly under the inferior border of the cricoid, and connected to a computer. For each sound recording, the total duration of the sound (td), the number (n) of sound components (SC), the duration of each SC (c1, c2, c3,...), and the intervals (i1, i2,...) between the SCs were measured. For all the recordings, the mean durations of acoustic parameters (TDm, C1m, C2m, C3m, I1m, I2m) were calculated and compared by using Student's t test. In the 20 male subjects, the mean acoustic parameters were calculated (MTDm, MC1m, MC2m, MC3m, MI1m, MI2m) and compared with the mean acoustic parameters (FTDm, FC1m, FC2m, FC3m, FI1m, FI2m) in the ten females by using a Wilcoxon nonparametric statistical test. We were able to interpret 80% of the recordings. The TDm was 710 +/- 28 ms. Three main SCs were detected: C1m = 100 +/- 56, C2m = 150 +/- 90, C3m = 80 +/- 54 ms; I1m = 100 +/- 66, I2m = 190 +/- 120 ms. No significant difference in these parameters was observed with respect to gender. This study enabled us to decompose the swallowing sounds into three main SCs and to quantify their normal durations. These results should prove useful for the assessment of sound variations in pathologic conditions.