Comparison of the aesthetic facial proportions of southern Chinese and white women.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the aesthetic facial proportions of southern Chinese women with published average and ideal values for white women. DESIGN: One hundred Chinese women between the ages of 18 and 40 years who had not undergone previous facial surgery were chosen at random, and their aesthetic facial proportions were measured from 5 x 7-in photographs. Comparisons were made with similar reported measurements for the white face, and the surgical relevance of the differences observed is discussed. RESULTS: The major facial differences observed in the Chinese face were the wider intercanthal distance, the wider nasal base, a different profile of the lower face, and differences in the eyelids. The Chinese nose was less prominent, the alae were more flared, the nostrils were more horizontally oriented, the alar-columellar relationships were different, and the nasal tip was less defined. CONCLUSIONS: Although the general principles of facial plastic surgery apply to both white and Chinese faces, the aesthetic goals are different. The aim is to retain the ethnicity and natural appearance of the face.

A case of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma in benign nasal polyps.

An unusual case of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma occurring within the stroma of benign nasal polyps is described. The patient was primarily treated with radiotherapy at first diagnosis. Two years later, he was diagnosed to have benign nasal polyps and had endoscopic sinus surgery. The recurrence was only diagnosed from histological examination of the polyps. The necessity for preoperative histological examination of any nasal polyp in patients with a past history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the importance of histological examination of all nasal polyps removed at surgery are emphasized.

"I've got a UFO stuck in my throat!"--an interesting case of foreign body impaction in the oesophagus.

This is a case report of an elderly lady with odynophagia because she accidentally swallowed a tablet which was still wrapped in its blister pack. A discussion of foreign body ingestion, particularly in the elderly, is included. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper that includes a lateral cervical radiograph of an ingested blister pack.

The Singapore swing.

The use of a rotation pedicled flap, entitled the 'Singapore Swing', comprising temporalis fascia and mastoid periosteum, is presented as a new method of promoting healing in 'open' mastoid surgery for chronic ear discharge. Cadaver studies show that the main blood supply of the flap is derived from a branch of the postauricular artery which enters the pedicle near the mastoid tip. A review of the first 14 operations showed complete healing with dry ears and intact tympanic membranes in all instances, three cases requiring secondary grafting of residual perforations. We consider the results sufficiently encouraging to merit an extended trial of the technique.

A case of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma of the sphenoid sinus.

A case of hepatocellular carcinoma with a solitary metastasis in the sphenoid sinus is described. The extreme rarity of the tumour and the problems of early diagnosis are underlined. The importance of endoscopic examination as a diagnostic procedure is emphasized.