Postoperative Serum Parathyroid Hormone Levels as a Predictor of Hypocalcemia in Patients Undergoing Total Thyroidectomy.

Postoperative hypocalcemia is a common complication of total thyroidectomy; the onset and severity of post-operative hypocalcemia is unpredictable. Various attempts have been made to identify predictors of hypocalcemia. There has been an increasing interest in serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) as an early predictor of the development of hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy. However, there is no consensus on the time intervals and cut-off levels of serum PTH to predict hypocalcemia. In this study, we intend to use serum PTH levels at 4th and 12th hour after total thyroidectomy to identify patients at risk of developing Postoperative hypocalcemia and to evaluate the role of PTH in predicting hypocalcemia. A Cross sectional analytical study conducted in 33 patients undergoing total/completion thyroidectomy from December 2018 to May 2020. Serum total calcium, Serum ionized calcium and Serum intact PTH levels were measured on three occasions (Preoperative and 4th and 12th hour Postoperative). Between both Postoperative levels of PTH, the one with better predictability of hypocalcemia was determined. Postoperative 4th hour PTH is a better predictor of transient hypocalcemia than Postoperative 12th hour PTH, as the association of the former with serum ionized calcium level was statistically highly significant with p value 0.005 and 0.021 respectively. Serum PTH determination after four hours of total thyroidectomy is a relatively better predictor of transient hypocalcemia, and can guide calcium supplementation for those at high risk in the Postoperative period. However, to determine the risk of hypocalcemia at the end of 1 month of follow-up, both the Postoperative 4th and post-operative 12th hour PTH have similar diagnostic accuracy.

Outcome of Treatment in Verrucous Carcinoma of Oral Cavity: A Tertiary Rural Hospital Experience.

Verrucous carcinoma of oral cavity is a highly well differentiated variant of squamous cell carcinoma with a low potential for invasion and metastasis. It is prevalent in the tobacco quid chewing population in our region. In this observational study, we reviewed the medical case records of 58 patients treated for oral verrucous carcinoma staged T2 to T4a. All patients underwent wide excision of tumour which included marginal mandibulectomy in 22 and hemimandibulectomy in 23 patients along with neck dissection saving the accessory nerve and internal jugular vein. 5 patients were found to have bone involvement along the alveolar sockets. 11 patients had other associated premalignant lesions in oral cavity. Only 2 patients had lymph node metastasis without extra nodal spread in submandibular region. With a mean follow up of 6 years and minimum follow up of 1 year, 3 patients had local recurrence. All these 3 patients had bone involvement and 2 of them had lymph node metastasis on histopathological examination. 3 patients who had associated premalignant lesions developed second primary in oral cavity after 3 years. In our experience, verrucous carcinoma has good prognosis when treated by surgery. Bone involvement along alveolar sockets and associated oral premalignant lesions adversely affect the outcome. There was no difference in the outcome between selective and modified radical neck dissection. Therefore selective neck dissection (supraomohyoid) would be adequate in treating these patients. Adjuvant radiotherapy can be reserved for T4a lesions or for positive margins.

Tracheo-esophageal Puncture Revisited.

This study aims to propose a novel surgical technique to rehabilitate patients with long term complication of trachea-esophageal puncture and stomal stenosis. Ours is retrospective study. Ten patients with tracheo-esophageal puncture who developed long term complications and who failed conservative management were included in our study. Majority of our patients were males within the age group of 50-70 years of age. Most of our patients had received adjuvant radiotherapy (8/10). All patients had multiple change of prosthesis. Nine patients suffered from multiple complications of TEP. Most common complication was that of progressive thinning of trachea-esophageal wall. All the patients who underwent this procedure healed well without any major complications. Long term trachea-esophageal puncture may undergo significant modification in terms of position and size. This technique gives a satisfactory and viable method of excising the altered anatomy and establishes speech & swallowing in such patients who fail conservative management.

Outcome of Treatment in Locally Advanced Upper Alveolar Carcinoma Extending to Infra-temporal Fossa.

Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity has a high prevalence in our region. Upper alveolar cancers are uncommon but present with locally advanced disease extending to infra temporal fossa. The outcome of treatment in these tumors is poor. Surgery followed by adjuvant therapy is the mainstay of treatment. We are presenting a retrospective analysis of outcome of treatment in 20 patients with locally advanced (T4b) upper alveolar carcinoma treated by infra-structure maxillectomy with compartment resection of infra-temporal fossa and neck dissection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy or radiotherapy with chemotherapy. Study period was from 2013 to 2018. Minimum follow up was 12 months and mean follow up 30 months. 12 patients are alive and disease free, 6 patients had local recurrence and 2 patients had regional recurrence with one having pulmonary metastasis. We observed that positive or close margins (< 5 mm after formalin fixation) predisposed to early recurrence. Erosion of pterygoid plates was a poor prognostic factor. Cervical lymph node metastasis occurred late in disease, but carried poor prognosis. Compartment resection of infra temporal fossa gave better outcome compared to other studies which reported outcome of treatment in upper alveolar cancers.

Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients: Findings from a Tertiary Rural Centre.

Olfactory and/or taste dysfunction are potential neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease -2019 (COVID-19). The aim of the study was to document the prevalence of anosmia in COVID-19 positive patients and analyze the effect of various factors on the occurrence of these chemosensory dysfunction in the local population. Tertiary referral center. Prospective Study. 250 subjects who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and admitted in Isolation ward were enrolled for the study. Data was collected from the subjects via oral questionnaire method, based on the AAO-HNS Anosmia Reporting Tool. Data was collected regarding the age, gender, olfactory or gustatory disturbances, history of recent travel or contact with a positive case, smoking, any associated symptoms, any co-morbid conditions and recovery time of sense of olfaction. Out of 250, 179 (71.6%) subjects were diagnosed with Olfactory dysfunction out of which majority were males, 105 (58.6%). Most of the patients were above 40 years of age (n = 184, 73.6%). Majority of the individuals (88 patients) had close contact with a positive case in recent past, followed by 67 patients who were health care workers, hence proving that risk of infection increases with exposure. Anosmia was present in 68.5% of all the 127 non-smokers. 66.4% had both olfactory as well as gustatory dysfunction whereas 18 patients (7.2%) were found to be totally asymptomatic. Mostly patients recovered their sense of smell within 1-2 weeks from the day of onset of anosmia. Presence of olfactory dysfunction of any degree with or without alteration in taste sensation should raise a suspicion of COVID-19 infection, especially when other classical signs are not present. In such conditions, swabs should be sent for confirmation by RT-PCR testing and till results are awaited, the individual should be shifted to quarantine facilities or advised strict self-isolation.

Role of turmeric extract in minimising mucositis in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell cancer: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of turmeric extract in reducing mucositis in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. METHODS: Sixty-one patients who underwent radiotherapy were included in the study and randomised into groups A and B. Patients in group A received 500 mg of turmeric extract (BCM-95) thrice daily, while patients in group B received placebo until radiotherapy completion. All patients were assessed for oral mucositis on a weekly basis during treatment and two months post-treatment using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and World Health Organization criteria. RESULTS: Both groups had a similar grade of mucositis in first two weeks of treatment. The severity of mucositis was progressive in the control group, with four patients developing grade 3 mucositis by week four. In group A, however, the majority of patients (73.3 per cent) had grade 1 mucositis after four weeks of treatment. The difference was statistically significant from the third week onwards (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Turmeric extract reduces the incidence and severity of radiation-induced mucositis, which can benefit patients undergoing radiation for head and neck cancer.

Outcome of compartment resection of locally advanced oral cancers extending to infratemporal fossa: a tertiary rural hospital experience.

Locally advanced oral cancers extending to infratemporal fossa (ITF) are a challenge to head and neck surgeons. These tumors are classified as T4b whenever the masticator space (MS), pterygoid muscles (PM), and pterygoid plates (PP) are involved according to AJCC classification. Until recently, these tumors were considered inoperable and treated only with palliative intent. However, a few studies in the last decade showed that many of these tumors could be resected with a reasonably favorable prognosis by compartment resection of ITF, particularly when the tumor was below sigmoid notch of mandible. A few studies attempted to downstage these tumors by neo-adjuvant chemotherapy before attempting resection. Oral Squamous cell carcinoma has a high prevalence in South India. Majority of these patients are females addicted to tobacco quid chewing and present with locally advanced disease. In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated the outcome of treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma extending to ITF and staged T4b in 52 patients. All patients underwent Composite resection including compartment resection of ITF followed by adjuvant treatment. 20 patients had received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Pectoralis major myocutaneous flap was the mainstay of reconstruction. After mean follow-up of 2 years, 31 patients are alive and disease free. 14 patients had local recurrence in ITF and 2 patients had recurred in cervical nodes. 8 patients died due to disease and 6 are on palliative care. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy did not benefit the outcome. Close margins of resection, extra nodal spread from lymph nodes and supra notch and involvement of posterior part of ITF were factors which predisposed to recurrence.

Usefulness of supraclavicular flap in reconstruction following resection of oral cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of supraclavicular artery flap in reconstruction of defects following resection of buccal mucosa cancer. METHODS: Twenty-five patients who presented to R.L Jalappa Hospital and Research centre and diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa staged T2 and above were included in our study. All patients underwent wide excision of tumour and neck dissection. Six patients underwent hemi-mandibulectomy while 4 patients underwent marginal mandibulectomy depending on extent of the tumour along with neck dissection. The defect following surgery was reconstructed using the supraclavicular artery flap and were followed up for minimum 6 months during which they were assessed for the functional and aesthetic outcome using a scoring system. The details of the scoring system comprised of 7 attributes. Each attribute was given a score of 10 if the patients experienced that attribute, while a score of 0 was given if the patient did not experience that particular attribute. RESULTS: Seven (28%) patients had complete necrosis of the flap. One patient had a local recurrence 2 months following surgery and was lost to follow up. The remaining 17 patients were followed up for a minimum of 6 months and a scoring system was adopted to evaluate the functional and aesthetic outcome of the supraclavicular flap. We observed that 14 patients had an excellent outcome score (58%), 3 patients had a good outcome score (13%), while 7 patients (28%) had flap necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: We find the supraclavicular flap to be safe, technically simple, sensate, thin, pliable and reliable regional fasciocutaneous flap in reconstructing intra oral defects. Preserving the external jugular vein and sacrificing supraclavicular nerves give good outcome.

Cytological Evaluation of Thyroid Lesions by Nuclear Morphology and Nuclear Morphometry.

INTRODUCTION: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the thyroid gland is an effective diagnostic method. The Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology classifies them into six categories and gives implied risk for malignancy and management protocol in each category. Though the system gives specific criteria, diagnostic dilemma still exists. Using nuclear morphometry, we can quantify the number of parameters, such as those related to nuclear size and shape. The evaluation of nuclear morphometry is not well established in thyroid cytology. OBJECTIVE: To classify thyroid lesions on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) using Bethesda system and to evaluate the significance of nuclear parameters in improving the prediction of thyroid malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, 120 FNAC cases of thyroid lesions with histological diagnosis were included. Computerized nuclear morphometry was done on 81 cases which had confirmed cytohistological correlation, using Aperio computer software. One hundred nuclei from each case were outlined and eight nuclear parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: In the present study, thyroid lesions were common in female with M: F ratio of 1:5 and most commonly in 40-60 yrs. Under Bethesda system, 73 (60.83%) were category II; 14 (11.6%) were category III, 3 (2.5%) were category IV, 8 (6.6%) were category V, and 22 (18.3%) were category VI, which were malignant on histopathological correlation. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of Bethesda reporting system are 62.5, 84.38, and 74.16%, respectively. Minimal nuclear diameter, maximal nuclear diameter, nuclear perimeter, and nuclear area were higher in malignant group compared to nonneoplastic and benign group. CONCLUSION: The Bethesda system is a useful standardized system of reporting thyroid cytopathology. It gives implied risk of malignancy. Nuclear morphometry by computerized image analysis can be utilized as an additional diagnostic tool.

Role of Buccal Pad of Fat in Reconstruction of the Buccal Mucosa Defects.

Carcinoma buccal mucosa is the most common oral cavity cancer in India. Following excision of these lesions the defects can be reconstructed using various reconstructive techniques. Buccal pad of fat has been successfully used in the reconstruction of small palatal defects and in the closure of the oro antral fistula. This study aims at evaluating the role of buccal pad of fat in reconstruction of defects following excision of the small to medium premalignant lesions and T1-T2 malignant lesions of buccal mucosa. This study has 20 patients who presented between January 2013 and January 2015, with biopsy proven premalignant lesions and early malignant lesions in the buccal mucosa. The lesions were excised and reconstructed with buccal pad of fat. Patients were followed up for a period of 3 months, in this period were evaluated for flap epithelisation, postoperative complications like flap necrosis and infection and also the functional outcomes of the flap. In our study complete epithelisation of the flap was seen in all patients. Wound dehiscence was seen in three patients with larger defetcs(>5 cm). None of our patients had any post operative morbidity. This flap is therefore an excellent reconstruction technique for small to medium buccal mucosa defects as it is convenient, reliable, fast, has rich vascularity, easy accessibility, fewer complications and minimal or no donor site morbidity.

Clinicopathological study of surgical margins in squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the margins of resected specimen of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and to document the surgical margin (measured at the time of resection) and margins at the time of pathological examination (after immersion of the specimen in formalin). METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed and confirmed with squamous carcinoma of buccal mucosa were included in the study. Patients underwent resection of the tumor with a margin of 1 cm. Soon after resection, the distance between outermost visible margin of the tumor and the margin of the specimen was measured and documented. Specimens were fixed in 10% formalin and submitted for gross and histopathological examination. The closest histopathologic margin was compared with the in situ margin (10 mm) to determine and document any shrinkage of the margin and the percentage of discrepancy if any. RESULTS: A total of 52 specimens were collected from patients between January 2014 and December 2014. All specimens were obtained from the oral cavity (n = 52) of which 43 (82.7%) were squamous cell carcinoma and 9 (17.3%) were verrucous variant of squamous cell carcinoma. The average decrease in tumor margins measured after fixation in formalin was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) in 65% of cases. CONCLUSION: Tumor margin shrinks significantly after formalin fixation by about 25%. The operating surgeon and pathologist should be well aware of such changes while planning for further management thereby ensuring adequate margin of resection and adjuvant treatment wherever required to prevent possible local recurrence of the disease.

Medially placed vagus nerve in relation to common carotid artery: a pointer to a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve.

The aim of this study was to highlight a medialized vagus in relation to common carotid artery as an operative marker to a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgeries. Three patients who underwent thyroidectomy, in who per operative diagnosis of right non-recurrent laryngeal nerve was made and the findings were confirmed radiologically by demonstration of aberrant subclavian artery were included in the study. A medially placed vagus nerve in relation to common carotid artery was the common observation in all the 3 patients. With no operative marker to identify a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve, it is more prone to injury during thyroidectomies. Vagus nerve which was constantly seen medial to the common carotid artery in all our three patients can be used as an operative marker to a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Island pectoralis major myocutaneous flap: an Indian perspective.

The aim of this study is to conceive a method of raising an island PMMC flap, so as to circumvent its drawbacks of bulk, flap length and the difficulty of developing this flap in female patients. And to consider island PMMC flap as a viable reconstructive option in head and neck surgeries, especially in peripheral centres. Ours is an experimental case series. The study was done at Sri Devaraj URS Medical college, Tamaka, Kolar. Between 2009 and 2010, head and neck reconstruction was performed using this method in 20 patients who had oral cancer (18), carcinoma supraglottis (1) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma parotid (1). The patients age ranged from 16 to 75 years, and there were 15 women and 5 men. Nineteen of our patients underwent primary surgery and one patient was operated for residual disease. In (16) patient, island pmmc flap was used for intra oral closure. In (4) patients the flap was spiraled for providing skin cover. Four patients developed complications. Three were minor complications of margin necrosis and wound dehiscence, which were managed conservatively. One patient developed orocutaneous fistula, which required secondary suturing. None of our patients had a total necrosis of the flap. Island PMMC flap is still a very useful and viable option for reconstruction in head and neck surgeries, especially in lateral gingivo buccal tumours and other head and neck tumours. In institutions where microvascular expertise is not available, island PMMC flap can be an alternative with results comparable to that of free tissue transfer.

Penetrating neck injuries.

The incidence of penetrating and lacerated neck injuries has been rising in recent decades largely because of urban violence. Injury to the neck frequently results in multiple regional injuries and in addition poses serious threat to vital structures in the neck.From 1999 to 2005, forty-two cases of penetrating neck injuries which were treated in our hospital were included in this study. Thirty one (73.8%) injuries were due to homicide, six cases (14.2%) were due to suicide attempt and five (11.9%) were accidental injuries. Surgical management included tracheostomy neck exploration and wound repair. All the patients were followed up for a minimum period of six months. Six patients (14.2%) had unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Two patients (4.7%) developed tracheal stenosis.A proper evaluation, rapid air way intervention and proper surgical repair are essential for a successful outcome.