Undiagnosed severe sleep apnoea and diabetic foot ulceration - a case series based hypothesis: a hitherto under emphasized factor in failure to heal.

BACKGROUND: Although great progress has been made in managing diabetic foot disease, it continues to carry significant morbidity and mortality. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and diabetes frequently coexist and recent studies suggest significant under-recognition of OSA in those with diabetes. There are no current reports on the direct clinical impact of OSA on acute or chronic diabetic foot ulcer healing. CASE REPORT: We describe three cases with Type 2 diabetes and a mean BMI of 50 kg/m(2) in whom we believe undiagnosed severe OSA may have impeded the rate of recovery of acutely infected foot ulcers. Despite standard care whilst in hospital with optimization of glycaemia, daily wound care, ulcer offloading techniques including casting, it was difficult to achieve satisfactory granulation in the first two cases with previously unrecognized and hence untreated severe OSA (Apnoea-Hypopnea Index > 30) until correction had been achieved through continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP). In the third case, despite all optimization techniques, healing has not been achieved and individuals' reluctance to consider CPAP may be one possible factor. DISCUSSION: We observe in three severely obese individuals with diabetes that untreated severe OSA may have contributed to delayed wound healing. We also observed an improvement in two individuals after institution of CPAP therapy. Clinicians managing the diabetic foot should consider investigating the presence of OSA in non-healing or slowly progressive foot ulcers when all other factors have been fully optimized.

Pre-auricular Subtemporal Approach for Intracranial Angiofibroma.

Introduction: In around 10-20% of angiofibroma cases, the tumor penetrates the skull base to involve intracranial structures, posing difficulty in treating them surgically. Today, advancement in skull base surgery has brought about a paradigm shift, and extensive angiofibroma tumors with intracranial extension are approached surgically today with minimal morbidity. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of angiofibroma with significant intracranial extension Radkowski staging IIIb from 2011 to 2021 who came to our center. There were seven children of angiofibroma with significant intracranial extension Radkowski staging IIIb, out of whom, four patients had undergone surgical resection at our center. Three patients underwent surgery by pre-auricular lateral subtemporal approach and one patient by maxillary swing approach. Preoperative embolization was done in all the patients one day before the day of operation. Results: Gross total removal of the tumor was achieved in all three patients who had undergone pre-auricular lateral subtemporal approach with no permanent complication. All three patients had a minimum follow-up of one year with no recurrence. Conclusion: The pre-auricular lateral subtemporal approach provides the shortest shallow route to the affected skull base with direct visualization of the tumor base. Hence recommended for angiofibroma with Radkowski staging IIIb.

Non-recurrent Laryngeal Nerve - A Rare Anatomical Anomaly that Increases the Risk of Nerve Injury during Thyroidectomy.

Introduction: Nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN), a rare anatomical variation of recurrent laryngeal nerve, is a branch of the vagus nerve (Morais M, Capela-Costa J, Matos-Lima L, Costa-Maia J (2015) Nonrecurrent Laryngeal Nerve and Associated Anatomical Variations: The Art of Prediction. Eur Thyroid J 4(4):234-238). On the right side, the prevalence of NRLN is 0.3-0.8%, while on the left side, it is extremely rare with a prevalence of 0.004%. Case-Report: A female in her twenties presented with thyroid swelling for 3 years with an ultrasound neck showing a TIRADS IV lesion in the left thyroid lobe. Contrast-enhanced tomography of the neck reported a lesion in the left thyroid lobe causing mass effect in the form of contralateral deviation of trachea and splaying of bilateral common carotid arteries from its common origin - probability of thyroid neoplasm along with aberrant right subclavian artery with a retroesophageal course was noted. Intraoperatively, the right laryngeal nerve was identified near its entry point in right cricothyroid joint and was traced laterally and was found to be nonrecurrent lying superior to inferior thyroid artery. Total thyroidectomy was done preserving the left recurrent laryngeal nerve and right non recurrent laryngeal nerve. Conclusion: NRLN should be suspected in cases with vascular anomalies based on preoperative imaging. Meticulous dissection during thyroid surgery for identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve or NRLN is still considered to be the precise approach to avoid nerve injury.

Incidence and Malignancy Rates in Thyroid Nodules in North-East Indian Population by Bethesda System: A Single Institutional Experience of 3 Years.

Suvamoy ChakrabortyIntroduction Goiter is one of the most common conditions encountered clinically (up to 60% of population) with thyroid malignancy being one of the most common endocrine malignancies. The American Thyroid Association has advocated the need for validation of the Bethesda system of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in each center. The risk of malignancy (ROM) for Bethesda categories in the Indian population is limited. Objective As there are variations in the effectiveness of FNAC, this study aims to study the role of FNAC in evaluating thyroid nodules, estimating the risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules in the North-East Indian population, and correlating the FNAC findings with HPE (histopathological examination). Materials and Methods A total of 110 patients with thyroid nodules had visited the Department of Otorhinolaryngology during 2017-2020. Case records were retrieved, out of which only 66 patients had both FNAC and HPE reports. The FNAC of 66 patients were studied. Statistical Analysis Data were analyzed using STATA V14. Fischer's exact test was used to determine the association of Bethesda system in diagnosing thyroid malignancy. The percentage agreement between the FNAC and HPE was calculated using the Kappa statistics. The diagnostic validity of FNAC in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodule was reported. Results The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of FNAC in diagnosing thyroid malignancy were 52%, 94.3%, 89%, and 69% respectively. The risk of malignancy (ROM) for Bethesda I to VI categories in our study was 20%, 25%, 67%, 40%, 78%, and 100% respectively ( p -value < 0.001, Fischer's exact test). Conclusion A specificity of 94.3% and PPV of 89% of FNAC makes it a good reliable tool in ruling in malignancy in our population. The higher ROM in indeterminate categories necessitates the need to consider thyroidectomy with or without intraoperative frozen section analysis in our population. Similar higher ROM has been reported in a few other Indian studies. These findings may suggest an increased ROM for Bethesda categories III and IV in the Indian population; however, the statement needs further validation from large multicentric studies with research to find the reason for the increased risk.

Migrated and Impacted Foreign Body of Retropharyngeal Space: A Case Report.

Foreign body upper aerodigestive tract is a common presentation but foreign body migrating into retropharyngeal space is not only uncommon, but its management also differs and is challenging too. Here we present a case of a foreign body migrating into the retropharyngeal space which was removed intraorally. A 28- year old male patient presented with complaints of pain while swallowing following consumption of sausage and pork two days earlier to the onset of symptoms. X-Ray Neck AP and lateral view were done which revealed a thin metallic foreign body at the level of the T4 vertebra. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and rigid esophagoscopy were done in which a foreign body was not visualized in the esophageal lumen. NCCT neck was done which gave precise location and was removed intraorally with the patient in Rose position. A repeat x-ray was done on the 5th day which revealed no foreign body, the patient was discharged on the 7th day. Although the upper aerodigestive tract foreign body is common, foreign body migrating to the posterior pharyngeal wall or into the retropharyngeal space is not common and it is difficult to remove a migrated foreign body many cases requiring open procedures, thoracoscopy, thoracotomy.

Admission Time Deep Swab Specimens Compared With Surgical Bone Sampling in Hospitalized Individuals With Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis and Soft Tissue Infection.

Whether deep swab cultures taken at admission reliably identify pathogens compared to surgical bone specimens in hospitalized individuals with diabetic foot osteomyelitis and soft tissue infection is unclear. Comparison of microbiological isolates between a deep wound swab (DWS) taken at the time of admission through the actively infected, discharging ulcer probing to the bone and the subsequent surgical bone sample (SBS) taken during surgical debridement was made. A total of 63 subjects (age 60.8 ± 13.5 years, 75% male, 80% Type 2 diabetes, HbA1C 8.9%±2.2%) were included. The proportion of Gram-positive (DWS 49% v SBS 52%) and Gram-negative (DWS 60% v SBS 60%) isolates was similar between the techniques. However, the overall concordance of isolates between the two techniques was only fair (κ=0.302). The best concordance was observed for Staphylococcus aureus (κ=0.571) and MRSA (κ=0.644). There was a correlation between number of isolates in SBS with prior antibiotic therapy of any duration (r= -0.358, p=0.005) and with the duration of ulceration (r=0.296, p=0.045); no clinical correlations were found for DWS. Prior antibiotic therapy (p=0.03) and duration of ulceration <8 weeks (p=0.025) were predictive of negative growth on SBS. In conclusion, we found only a fair concordance between deep wound swabs acquired at admission and surgical bone specimens in those presenting with a severe diabetic foot infection and features of osteomyelitis. Ensuring early surgical debridement of all infected tissue and obtaining bone specimens should be considered a clinical priority, which may also reduce the likelihood of negative growth on SBS.

Stretch reflex instability compared in three different human muscles.

The possibility of causing instability in the stretch reflex has been examined in three different human muscles: biceps, first dorsal interosseous (FDI) of the hand and digastric. Tremor recorded as fluctuation of isometric force was compared with that occurring during contraction against a spring load. The spring compliance was selected to make the natural frequency of the part in each case appropriate for oscillations in the short latency stretch reflex. A computer model of the whole system was used to predict the frequency at which oscillations should be expected and to estimate the reflex gain required in each case to cause sustained oscillations. Estimates were computed of the autospectra of the force records and of the rectified surface EMG signals and of the coherence functions. Normal subjects showed no evidence of a distinct spectral peak during isometric recording from any of the three muscles. However, in anisometric conditions regular oscillations in force occurred in biceps, but not in FDI or digastric. The oscillations in biceps at 8-9 Hz were accompanied by similar oscillations in the EMG which were highly coherent with the force signal. The results are consistent with the presence of a strong segmental stretch reflex effect in biceps and weak or absent reflex in FDI. Digastric is known to contain no muscle spindles and therefore to lack a stretch reflex. In two subjects who volunteered that they had more tremor than normal, but had no known neurological abnormality, there was a distinct peak in the force spectrum at 8-9 Hz in biceps and FDI in isometric conditions with coherent EMG activity. The peak increased in size in anisometric conditions in biceps but not in FDI. This component appears to be of central rather than of reflex origin. No equivalent component was found in digastric records. The results are discussed in relation to the possible role of the short latency stretch reflex in the genesis of physiological tremor in different muscles.