Survival effect of pretreatment FDG-PET-CT on nasopharyngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Accurate staging is the first step for optimal treatment selection in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this propensity-score-matched, population-based cohort study, we investigated the survival effects of pretreatment 8-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18FDG-PET-CT) on patients with NPC. METHODS: We included patients with stage I-IVA NPC receiving radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy and categorized them into two 1:1 propensity score-matched groups according to whether or not they underwent pretreatment 18FDG-PET-CT and compared their outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 10,756 patients, propensity score matching yielded 4366 patients in each group. According to multivariable Cox regression analyses, the most prominent correlation between pretreatment 18FDG-PET-CT and all-cause death was observed in patients with stage II NPC (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-0.90; P = .0433), followed by patients with stage III NPC (aHR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69-0.94; P = .0071) and patients with stage IVA NPC (aHR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.97; P = .0091). This association was not significant in patients with stage I NPC (aHR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.75-1.93; P = .4426). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment 18FDG-PET-CT is associated with longer survival in patients with clinical stage II-IVA NPC but not in stage I NPC.

Effect of Preexisting Sarcopenia on Acute and Late Postoperative Pneumonia Among Patients With Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Whether preexisting sarcopenia is an independent risk factor for postoperative pneumonia (POP) for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a propensity score-matched population-based cohort study to compare the risk of acute and late POP for patients with sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic OCSCC who underwent curative surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included patients with OCSCC who underwent curative surgery and categorized them into 2 groups depending on whether they had preexisting sarcopenia. The patients in the sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic groups were matched at a ratio of 2:1. RESULTS: The matching process yielded 16,257 patients (10,822 without sarcopenia and 5,435 with sarcopenia). In multivariate Cox regression analyses, the adjusted hazard ratio of POP for the group with OCSCC with preexisting sarcopenia was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.14-1.26; P<.0001) compared with the nonsarcopenic group. Among the patients with OCSCC who received curative surgery, those in the sarcopenic group exhibited a higher POP risk than those in the nonsarcopenic group for the following postoperative time periods: 31st to 90th day, 91st day to first year, first to second year, second to third year, third to fourth year, and fourth to fifth year. CONCLUSIONS: The high incidence of pneumonia persists for a long time in patients with OCSCC who receive curative surgery; this high incidence may even persist for 5 years after surgery, especially in patients with sarcopenia. For susceptible patients who are at risk for OCSCC, sarcopenia prevention measures (eg, exercise and early nutrition intervention) should be implemented.

The clinical features of endoscopic treated isolated sphenoid sinus diseases.

BACKGROUND: Isolated sphenoid sinus disease (ISSD) is a rare clinical entity with potentially serious complications. The etiological distribution of ISSD varies among different areas and ethnicities. We aimed to investigate the clinical features of patients with endoscopic treated ISSD. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with ISSD who had undergone endoscopic surgery between April 2013 and May 2019. The patient records were reviewed for demographic data, clinical presentations, endoscopic and imaging study findings, surgical outcomes and complications. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients with ISSD who underwent surgery were recruited. We divided patients into three groups according to etiology, including inflammatory diseases (78.4%), neoplasms (13.5%) and spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks (8.1%); fungal ball (62.2%) constituted the major cause of ISSD. Overall, the most common presenting symptom was headache or facial pain (65.5%). The endoscopic findings of bloody discharge and tumor lesions were mainly from the neoplasm group. Bony defects were more obvious on computed tomography in the neoplasm and CSF leak groups. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a higher rate of involvement of the cavernous sinus (40.0%) and intracranial extensions (40.0%) in the neoplasm group. To summarize the surgical outcomes, the success rate was 97.1%, and the major complication rate was 5.4%. CONCLUSION: ISSD represents a variety of etiologies, mostly comprising fungal ball in our area, while there is still a considerable proportion of ISSDs attributed to neoplasm and CSF leak. Untreated ISSD can result in serious complications. We recommend early surgical intervention for all patients with ISSD.

Acute hearing loss in patients with hematological disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study adopted an inner ear test battery to investigate the causes of acute sensorineural hearing loss in patients with hematological disorders. METHODS: During the past 20 years, the authors have experienced 14 patients with hematological disorders, i.e. leukemia or aplastic anemia, having acute sensorineural hearing loss. An inner ear test battery comprising audiometry and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP), ocular VEMP (oVEMP), and caloric tests was performed. RESULTS: Diagnoses comprised of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in 12 patients and endolymphatic hydrops in four patients (two patients had one ear with sudden sensorineural hearing loss while the other ear had endolymphatic hydrops). Percentages of recruitment phenomenon showed a significant difference between endolymphatic hydrops and sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Abnormal percentages for mean hearing level (86%), cVEMP test (71%), oVEMP test (25%), and caloric test (14%) exhibited a significant sequential decline in these patients. CONCLUSION: Acute sensorineural hearing loss in a patient with leukemia or aplastic anemia may be related to either sudden sensorineural hearing loss or endolymphatic hydrops. A significant sequential decline in the function of the cochlea, saccule, utricle, and semicircular canals indicates that the pars inferior is more vulnerable to blood insult than the pars superior.

Herpes zoster laryngis with prelaryngeal skin erythema.

A 74-year-old man came to our hospital with complete left vocal cord paralysis and erythema of the prelaryngeal skin. The patient also had mucosal swelling and erosions in the left arytenoid cartilage, aryepiglottic fold, and pyriform sinus. Herpetic vesicles developed over the prelaryngeal erythema 4 days after admission. An increase in the varicella-zoster immunoglobulin G level to 3,294 IU/mL confirmed varicella-zoster virus infection of the larynx and prelaryngeal skin. The patient was treated with acyclovir without marked effect. Nevertheless, in cases of unilateral vocal cord paralysis and erythema of the ipsilateral prelaryngeal skin, we advise that herpes zoster laryngis must be considered and treatment with early intravenous acyclovir started.

Acute effects of alcohol on auditory thresholds and distortion product otoacoustic emissions in humans.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the acute effects of alcohol consumption on pure-tone thresholds (PTs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in humans MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight healthy adults were asked to drink alcohol to the clinical intoxication level. PTs and DPOAEs were determined serially before and after alcohol ingestion. RESULTS: Alcohol had no effect on PTs DPOAE amplitudes above 5500 Hz dropped 30 min and 1 h after alcohol ingestion, returning to the pre-test level 2 h after ingestion. CONCLUSION: In humans, acute alcohol consumption to the intoxication level may cause a temporary reduction in DPOAE amplitudes at high frequencies without affecting auditory thresholds.

Allergic fungal otomastoiditis: a case report.

Allergic mucin is described as thick, peanut butter-like mucus impacted in the paranasal sinuses of patients with allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. The presence of allergic mucin in the middle ear has never been reported. We encountered a 65-year-old female with allergic mucin found impacted in her left middle ear and mastoid cavity during revised tympanoplasty surgery at our institute. Bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery performed 3 months later showed no evidence of fungal infection or allergic mucin in her paranasal sinuses. We report the case herein and propose the term allergic fungal otomastoiditis for this disease entity.

Toxoplasma IgG expressed in a patient with Rosai-Dorfman disease.

Rosai-Dorfman Disease (RDD) is a rare benign disease characterized by sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy. RDD can be differentiated from other types of histiocytosis by immunochemical analysis, as RDD is positive for S100. Conversely, toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis is characterized by clusters of epithelioid histiocytes in lymphoid tissue, with mixed lymphocytic and immunoblastic cell populations. The serology data could help in diagnosing toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis, as the toxoplasma IgG should be positive. Here we present the rare case of a 73-year-old woman who presented with a left parotid mass and multiple neck lymphadenopathy that initially had been diagnosed as toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis from a positive result on serology examination, but was finally proven to be RDD based on immunochemical results. We also discuss the relationship between RDD and toxoplasmosis in this case.