Transoral Robotic Surgery for Recurrent Tumors of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract (RECUT): An International Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is an emerging minimally invasive surgical treatment for residual, recurrent, and new primary head and neck cancers in previously irradiated fields, with limited evidence for its oncological effectiveness. METHODS: A retrospective observational cohort study of consecutive cases performed in 16 high-volume international centers before August 2018 was conducted (registered at clinicaltrials.gov [NCT04673929] as the RECUT study). Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival, disease-specific survivals (DSS), and local control (LC) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates, with subgroups compared using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards modeling for multivariable analysis. Maximally selected rank statistics determined the cut point for closest surgical resection margin based on LC. RESULTS: Data for 278 eligible patients were analyzed, with median follow-up of 38.5 months. Two-year and 5-year outcomes were 69.0% and 62.2% for LC, 71.8% and 49.8% for OS, 47.2% and 35.7% for disease-free survival, and 78.7% and 59.1% for disease-specific survivals. The most discriminating margin cut point was 1.0 mm; the 2-year LC was 80.9% above and 54.2% below or equal to 1.0 mm. Increasing age, current smoking, primary tumor classification, and narrow surgical margins (≤1.0 mm) were statistically significantly associated with lower OS. Hemorrhage with return to theater was seen in 8.1% (n = 22 of 272), and 30-day mortality was 1.8% (n = 5 of 272). At 1 year, 10.8% (n = 21 of 195) used tracheostomies, 33.8% (n = 66 of 195) used gastrostomies, and 66.3% (n = 53 of 80) had maintained or improved normalcy of diet scores. CONCLUSIONS: Data from international centers show TORS to treat head and neck cancers in previously irradiated fields yields favorable outcomes for LC and survival. Where feasible, TORS should be considered the preferred surgical treatment in the salvage setting.

The robotic-assisted extended "Sistrunk" approach for tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract with limited transoral access: First description of oncological and functional outcomes.

We report on the first clinical experience with the robotic-assisted extended "Sistrunk" approach (RESA) for access to constrained spaces of the upper aerodigestive tract. This prospective case cohort study include six patients that underwent RESA if transoral exposure could not be achieved. Three patients received previous radiation. Patients were postoperatively followed until week 16 for perioperative complications, surgical margins, and functional outcomes. In all patients RESA allowed adequate exposure and resection with negative margins. Three patients who underwent salvage surgery experienced a minor or intermediate grade postoperative bleeding. No patient developed a pharyngocutaneous fistula. Three patients recovered their swallowing to their preoperative status and the remaining three experienced an improvement. All patients experienced complete recovery of their voice. RESA has the potential to provide a new organ preservation approach for head and neck cancer (HNC) not amenable to transoral exposure and thus warrants further prospective clinical studies.

[Laryngeal reinnervation]. / Réinnervations laryngées.

The surgical management of unilateral and bilateral vocal cord paralysis depends on the severity of the condition, the potential for spontaneous recovery, the patient's age and vocal expectations. Standardized re-innervation surgeries, unilateral non-selective and bilateral selective, are viable alternatives to static procedures currently under evaluation in prospective studies. Neurorraphy of the ansa cervicalis loop to the recurrent laryngeal nerve allows lasting vocal recovery and potentially superior results to medialization and thyroplasty, by maintaining the visco-elastic properties of the vocal cord and preventing its atrophy. Selective bilateral reinnervation shows potential for recovery of inspiratory abduction with improved respiratory function without vocal deterioration.

La prise en charge chirurgicale des paralysies cordales uni et bilatérales dépend de la sévérité de l'atteinte, du potentiel de récupération spontanée, de l'âge du patient et de ses attentes. De nouvelles stratégies standardisées de réinnervations, unilatérales non sélectives et bilatérales sélectives, sont désormais appliquées en clinique et en cours d'études prospectives. La neurorraphie de l'anse cervicale au nerf laryngé récurrent permet un rétablissement vocal durable et potentiellement supérieur aux techniques statiques de médialisation et thyroplastie, par maintien des propriétés viscoélastiques de la corde et prévention de sa fibrose. La réinnervation bilatérale sélective montre un potentiel de récupération de l'abduction inspiratoire avec une amélioration des fonctions respiratoires sans détérioration vocale.

Predictive Factors of Swallowing Disorders and Bronchopneumonia in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: In stroke patients, early complications such as swallowing disorders (SD) and bronchopneumonia (BP) are frequent and may worsen outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SD in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and the risk of BP, as well as to identify factors associated with these conditions. METHODS: We retrospectively studied all AISs over a 12-month period in a single-center registry. We determined the frequency of SD in the first 7 days and of BP over the entire hospital stay. Associations of SD and BP with patient characteristics, stroke features, dental status, and presence of a feeding tube were analyzed in multivariate analyses. RESULTS: In the 340 consecutive patients, the overall frequency of SD and BP was 23.8% and 11.5%, respectively. The multivariate analyses showed significant associations of SD with NIHSS scores >4, involvement of the medulla oblongata and wearing a dental prosthesis (area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) of 76%). BP was significantly associated with NIHSS scores >4, male sex, bilateral cerebral lesions, the presence of SD, and the use of an enteral feeding tube (AUC 84%). In unadjusted analysis, unfavorable 12-month outcome and mortality were increased in the presence of SD. CONCLUSION: In AIS, SD and BP are associated with stroke severity and localization and wearing a dental prosthesis increases the risk of SD. Given that patients with SD have an increased risk of poor outcome and mortality, high-risk patients warrant early interventions, including more randomized trials.