The controversy of Warthin's tumor.

Warthin's tumor is controversial. This controversy is multifaceted and relates to all aspects of the tumor from its historical beginnings to its pathogenesis, investigations, and treatments. In this paper, an in depth study of Warthin's tumor has been made to help clarify these controversies.

Safety of total thyroidectomy: review of 100 consecutive cases.

During a 6-year period (June 1982 to June 1988), 100 consecutive total thyroidectomies were performed at Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, for benign and malignant disease. There were five permanent complications: one deliberate sacrifice of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and four cases of persistent hypoparathyroidism. Four of these five complications occurred in extracapsular carcinoma and resulted from oncologic wide-field resection and/or deliberate sacrifice. One patient with benign disease suffered initially transient hypoparathyroidism which has now become permanent. Interestingly, two patients actually underwent deliberate sacrifice of a recurrent laryngeal nerve; one patient has made a surprising recovery at 16 months postoperative and now has full vocal cord mobility. Our experience suggests that the morbidity of total thyroidectomy relates primarily to the stage of malignancy and extracapsular extension, necessitating en bloc excision accompanied by additional lymph node dissection. The low incidence of permanent complications in benign thyroid disease suggests the feasibility of total thyroidectomy as the operation of choice when surgeons are familiar with the technique and indications.

Nonpalpable occult and metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma.

The results of palpation, ultrasound, and detailed pathology were compared in 50 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. Of the 211 nodules recognized by pathology, palpation detected 24% and ultrasound detected 43%. There were 14 patients with palpable papillary carcinomas, and 12 of these 14 had metastatic foci in other portions of the gland. Metastatic foci would have been left in 10 patients if only a lobectomy had been performed and would have been left in 6 patients if only a subtotal thyroidectomy (as defined in this report) had been performed. Of the 33 patients with benign palpable nodules, 5 had occult papillary carcinomas. In 2 of those 5 patients, the occult carcinomas would not have been removed if a less-than-total thyroidectomy had been performed. The significance of these occult and metastatic papillary carcinomas is discussed.

Lipoma and liposarcoma of the parotid gland: high-resolution preoperative imaging diagnosis.

Over the past 7 years, nine fatty tumors within the parotid gland have been managed (eight lipomas, one liposarcoma). High-resolution computed tomography examination was carried out in all cases; with correct preoperative diagnosis recorded each time. The computed tomography imaging characteristics of lipoma, liposarcoma, and the differential diagnosis from other fat density lesions, such as a fatty infiltration, appear quite specific. The liposarcoma and six of the lipomas were resected at formal parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation. Two patients with small intraglandular lipomas have elected to undergo long-term clinical and imaging observation. Our experience indicates that high-resolution, soft-tissue imaging with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging permits consistent preoperative fatty tumor diagnosis. This imaging input facilitates rational treatment decision-making.

An objective analysis of the impact of lateral rhinotomy and medial maxillectomy on nasal airway function.

OBJECTIVE: The lateral rhinotomy and medial maxillectomy procedure, while known to interrupt nasal valve supports, has not previously been reported to adversely affect nasal airway function. The purpose of this study was to utilize state-of-the-art techniques to objectively analyze the impact of this procedure on nasal airway function. DESIGN: The study design was retrospective and subject controlled. METHODS: The study population was derived from an academic, tertiary-referral, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery department with an estimated catchment population of 4 million people. Subjects included 21 consecutive, long-term postoperative patients who had undergone lateral rhinotomy and medial maxillectomy for inverted papilloma. Objective measures included vestibular cephalometric measurements, airflow rhinomanometry, and acoustic rhinometry. RESULTS: Statistically significant results reveal that although lateral rhinotomy and medial maxillectomy are associated with alar collapse, both overall nasal airflow and valve areas are increased. CONCLUSION: Lateral rhinotomy and medial maxillectomy does not adversely affect nasal airway function. This appears to be the result of concomitant resection of the functionally dominant inferior turbinate. This suggests that lateral rhinotomy performed in conjunction with operations not requiring inferior turbinectomy, such as anterior craniofacial resection, may adversely affect nasal airway function.

The clinical significance of radionuclide bone and gallium scanning in osteomyelitis of the head and neck.

Osteomyelitis of the head and neck remains a difficult clinical problem both in diagnosis and treatment evaluation. The purpose of this manuscript is to review our clinical experience with 25 cases of osteomyelitis distributed evenly among the temporal bone and skull base, the paranasal sinuses, and the mandible. Radionuclide bone and gallium scan images accurately depicted the biologic activity of the disease process and permitted accurate treatment evaluation and patient monitoring. This work demonstrates the potentials and limitations of radionuclide imaging with bone and gallium scan agents and attempts to define a role for their contemporary use in the management of osteomyelitis of the head and neck.

E-PTFE (Gore-Tex) suspension cervical facial rhytidectomy.

Restoration of a well-defined, youthful-looking, cervicomental angle is not easily achieved. The classic rhytidectomy is now often supplemented by lipectomy and platysmamodifying procedures. Still, irregularities of neck contour are bothersome, and for the short, stocky neck, results at times fall short of a patient's and surgeon's expectation. Insertion of an E-PTFE (expanded polytetrafluorethylene [E-PTFE]; tradename, Gore-Tex, W. L. Gore Associates Inc, Flagstaff, Ariz) soft-tissue patch as a sling to support the floor of the mouth and redefine the cervicomental angle for a smoother neck contour is described. This method was used in seven patients presenting with problematic aging neck. The first three patients needed readjustment of the E-PTFE membrane. This evolving method seems to offer a superior, more lasting result for the correction of an obtuse cervicomental angle.

Medical therapy in rhinology.

The treatment of nasal diseases is both medical and surgical. This article broadly reviews the medical treatment of the most common nasal pathologies.

Aspiration flow optimized for nasal nitric oxide measurement.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate some of the factors which may influence the reliability of nasal NO measurements, and to optimize methods suitable for children and adults. Nasal nitric oxide (NO) output was determined by chemiluminescent analysis of aspirated samples in 16 adults and 6 children. With the velopharyngeal aperture closed, stable NO levels were obtained at flows ranging form 0.9 to 6.2 L/min. NO output averaged 401.0 +/- 145.4 nL/min./M2 in 6 children, 338.2 +/- 92.3 in 7 adult females and 268.6 +/- 70.2 in 9 adult males. Nasal NO output was independent of flow provided a stable plateau of NO value was reached. In this study, the optimal range of flows was 3.2-5.2 L/min. in adults and 2.2-3.2 L/min. in children. This enables selection of the most favorable flow to be chosen for individual subjects and situations.

Current thoughts on implants in rhinoplasty.

Since the birth of modern rhinoplastic surgery in the early 20th century, most attention has been directed to the reduction rhinoplasty with ever improving and increasingly sophisticated approaches and techniques. Augmentation procedures, on the other hand, have been used on a far lesser scale. The employment of implants, although used sporadically in the past and often with poor results, now appears to be gaining in popularity as new inert materials are being synthesized and proven safe for medical usage. It is the purpose of this paper to review the synthetic material available for nasal implantation, as well as their place in the rhinologist's armamentarium.

Total facial rejuvenation.

Facial rejuvenation cannot usually be effected by any one procedure. Since many interrelated operations are often required, the authors feel that this should be carried out at one sitting employing a "two team approach". Proper pre-operative evaluation and education of the patient is mandatory.

Multiple bilateral synchronous Warthin's tumors: a case report and review of the literature.

Warthin's tumor is a relatively uncommon and biologically fascinating neoplasm of salivary glands. Bilateral simultaneous parotid Warthin's tumors have been reported previously, as have multiple unilateral tumors. However, an extensive search of the English and non-English medical literature revealed only two previous reports of multiple bilateral Warthin's tumor presenting simultaneously. We report a third case, and review the unique embryological origin and biological characteristics of this entity.

Radionuclide bone scan in frontal sinus osteoma.

Frontal sinus osteomas, whether cortical or cancellous by morphologic radiologic appearance, appear to represent metaplasia rather than neoplasia occurring at the frontal-ethmoid suture line. These osteomas are not infrequently found completely or partially within the frontal sinus or adjacent ethmoid complex. Regardless of specific anatomic site, they occur at the embryologic junction of enchondral and membranous frontal bone. Those osteomas which produce mechanical complications (ostial obstruction or facial deformity or proptosis) give clear indication for surgical intervention. A much larger group of osteomas, however, is detected on routine plan radiographic examinations carried out for other reasons. Unfortunately, the singular conventional radiographic finding of an osteoma has, in the past, frequently been the sole and primary indication for surgical intervention. The purpose of the present paper was to review the experience with 10 frontal sinus osteomas managed expectantly over the past 11 years. All were imaged serially with morphologic studies, including conventional X-rays and computerized tomography scans. A radionuclide bone scan was carried out in all patients at the time of initial presentation. Those identified as producing mechanical complications clinically, or a 'hot' bone scan by radionuclide study, were regarded as appropriate for osteoplastic frontal sinusectomy for removal of the osteoma; three cases were approached in this way. On the other hand, utilizing this physiologic imaging parameter, a 'cold' bone scan indicated the presence of a relatively insert osteoma, in terms of biologic growth activity. Thus, adopting a non-operative approach, and following these patients over the 4-11 year period appears to have been validated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Impact of vertical dome division on nasal airflow.

OBJECTIVE: Vertical dome division is an effective maneuver in nasal tip surgery. Its applications include reduction of the tip projection, increasing tip rotation, narrowing of the domal arch, and correction of lobule asymmetry. Nevertheless, some surgeons avoid this technique, fearing tip deformity and possibly impaired nasal airflow. RESULTS: In this study, nasal airflow measurements were made before and after septorhinoplasty with vertical dome division. There was no significant change in the airflow before and after septorhinoplasty with vertical dome division. The airflow was negatively affected in 37.5% and improved postoperatively in 25% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite objective findings of diminished nasal airflow in some patients following vertical dome division, no subjective correlation was identified. Furthermore, during the postoperative testing, alar retraction on all of these patients failed to normalize airflow results, indicating that alar collapse was not contributing to the airflow impairment in those cases. All of the patients were found clinically asymptomatic after surgery.

Three-dimensional CT reconstruction and volume measurements of the pharyngeal airway before and after maxillofacial surgery in obstructive sleep apnea.

We believe that maxillofacial surgery is a successful procedure for treatment of sleep apnea, provided the patients are fully assessed pre-operatively with nocturnal polysomnography and pharyngeal airway imaging. Long follow-up is also necessary to evaluate success.

Nasal nitric oxide is not altered by topical anesthesia.

This prospective study was undertaken to determine whether topical nasal anesthetic agents affect nasal nitric oxide (NO) output in healthy adults. Seven volunteers (aged: 29-56 (40.6 +/- 10.7) years, six male), were recruited. A topical anesthetic (4% lidocaine or 0.5% tetracaine) was sprayed into the subject's right nostril while the left nostril served as a control. Unilateral nasal NO and nasal volume were measured before administration of the anesthetic and at 15 and 30 minutes after the administration. The mean (+/- SD) unilateral nasal NO output was 307 +/- 45.9 nL/minute from the right nostril (exposure side) before the topical application of lidocaine. At 30 minutes after topical application (n = 6), it was 295.5 +/- 41.5 in the right nostril and 297.5 +/- 39.8 in the left (control side). In the tetracaine group (n = 7), the mean (+/- SD) unilateral nasal NO output was 302 +/- 53.3 before the administration and 307 +/- 39.7 at 30 minutes after the administration in the right nostril. The mean NO output in the left nostril at 30 minutes after the administration was 297.7 +/- 40.75. In neither group was there any significant difference in nasal NO output between either the pre- and postlocal anesthetic application on the exposure side (Group 1, P = 0.76; group 2, P = 0.41) or the two nostrils after topical anesthesia application (group 1, P = 0.83; group 2, P = 0.62). Topical anesthesia with either lidocaine or tetracaine does not alter nasal NO output. NO measurement should not be affected in circumstances that require topical anesthesia of the nasal cavity.

Muco-epidermoid carcinoma of the palate.

Muco-epidermoid carcinoma is the second most frequently occurring malignancy of the minor salivary glands representing 25 per cent of all malignancies, adenoid cystic being the more common tumor. It invariably presents as an asymptomatic lung without mucosal ulceration, 50 per cent of which occur on the palate. It is of great interest to the physician because it may be divided into two distinct categories dependent upon its cell composition - low grade malignancy or high grade. These have widely differing prognostic significance and require different modes of therapy. This is illustrated by five case histories which span the past seven years of the author's experience.