Shaving Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Involving Functioning Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve: Safety of Incomplete Tumor Resection and Nerve Sparing.

BACKGROUND: Whether to sacrifice or spare the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) when papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) involves a functioning RLN remains controversial. Oncological outcomes after shaving PTC with gross remnant on the RLN have been rarely reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate the oncological outcomes of patients who underwent shaving of a PTC from the RLN, leaving a gross residual tumor with the intent of vocal function preservation. METHODS: A retrospective, cohort study was conducted in 47 patients who were determined to have PTC invasion of the RLN via intraoperative inspection and underwent tumor shaving with macroscopic remnant (R2 resection) less than 1 cm in length and 4 mm in thickness. Median follow-up period was 93 (range, 60-215) months. The primary endpoint was the recurrence-free survival and the progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints were biochemical outcomes (serum thyroglobulin) and vocal cord function. RESULTS: Of the 47 patients, five (10.6%) patients showed recurrence (central neck, 3; lateral neck, 2) without death or distant metastasis. The RLN was resected along with the tumor in one (2.1%) patient who presented with progression of the residual tumor. Postoperative temporary vocal cord paralysis occurred in six (12.8%) patients without permanent cases. The final nonstimulated serum thyroglobulin was 0.7 ± 1.8 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Shaving a tumor from a RLN with gross residual disease may be considered an alternative strategy to preserve vocal function when complete tumor resection with nerve preservation is impossible in patients with PTC invading a functioning RLN.

Solitary Sphenoid Sinus Lesion Presenting as Chronic Headache.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Headache is a common symptom with etiologies that are difficult to distinguish, 1 of which is sinusitis. A solitary sphenoid lesion, which is rare, can also cause acute or chronic headaches. The authors investigated whether endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for solitary sphenoid lesions could reduce headache symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed the charts of patients who underwent ESS from 2012 to 2017, whose main symptom was a chronic headache for several years. There were no remarkable pathologic findings in the nasal cavity upon endoscopic examination. Medications for reducing headaches had transient effect. Brain magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography scans showed a solitary sphenoid lesion and the patients underwent ESS by the same otolaryngologist. In total, 16 out of 547 ESS cases that met the above conditions were included in this study. The authors evaluated the duration, character, and degree of the headaches pre- and post-operatively. The authors also determined if there was a correlation between headaches, sphenoidal lesions, and pathologic outcomes. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in headaches after surgery. The pre- and post-operative mean visual analog scale score for headaches was 7.27 ±â€Š1.67 and 3.80 ±â€Š1.82, respectively. The pathologic outcomes revealed chronic inflammation in 11 patients, nasal polyp in 1 patient, inverted papilloma in 1 patient, and fungal infections in 3 patients, but there was no clinical correlation between the headache, lesion site, and pathology. CONCLUSIONS: A solitary sphenoid lesion can be the cause of acute or chronic headaches. Headaches from a solitary sphenoid sinus lesion, which were not controlled by medical treatments, could be improved by surgical procedures.

Myoepithelioma of the Nasal Septum.

Myoepithelioma is defined as myoepithelial cells composed of tumor with solid, myxoid, and reticular growth pattern by the World Health Organization. It is a rare neoplasm that arises in the major salivary gland or minor salivary gland comprising approximately 1% of all salivary gland tumor. This neoplasm occurs in the parotid gland and soft palate mostly, which can be found in other organs. However, up to now, myoepithelioma of nasal septum has not been reported in English medical literature. Histologically, it is grouped as spindle, epitheliod, reticular, and clear cell types. Spindle cell type is the most common. In this case, a 40-year-old woman presented with complaining of nasal stuffiness and accidentally found right nasal cavity mass. Endoscopic surgery for excision of the mass was performed under local anesthesia, which was confirmed as myoepithelioma. After surgery, the patient's symptom was disappeared and there has not been sign of recurrence for 6 months. We present a rare patient of myoepithelioma of the nasal septum with review of relevant literature.

Capillary Hemangioma of the Tympanic Membrane and External Auditory Canal.

Hemangiomas are very common tumors characterized by large numbers of vessels filled with blood. Capillary hemangioma is the most common type of hemangioma, whereas capillary hemangiomas of the tympanic membrane and external auditory canal are extremely rare vascular tumors. The authors present capillary hemangioma of the tympanic membrane and external auditory canal in a 54-year-old woman with right-sided aural fullness for 3 months. Under local anesthesia, the mass was resected by transcanal microscopic surgery. Histologically, the tumor was composed of thin-walled capillaries with scant stroma and diagnosed as capillary hemangioma. After surgery, her symptoms improved and she did not exhibit any signs of recurrence for 1 year. The authors also review the relevant literature related to this report.