[Reflections on percutaneous tracheotomy. Regarding a retrospective study of 106 cases with major burns]. / Réflexions sur la trachéotomie percutanée. A partir d'une étude rétrospective chez 106 grands brûlés.

About ten years ago, a new technique for tracheotomy was invented in the United States and has tended to replace the surgical technique in intensive care units. Percutaneous tracheotomy is performed by the intensive care unit physician working in the unit at the patient's bedside. Progressive expansion seems to be the method of choice. Physicians at the Center for burn victims at the Percy Army Hospital have used this technique since 1994. We performed a retrospective study of 106 cases, between 1994 and 1998, and reviewed the international literature. Percutaneous tracheotomies were performed via a vertical cutaneous discharge incision and appeared to be particularly interesting for patients with major burns who are difficult to transport and risk secondary infections. Three early and serious complications were observed, emphasizing the need of a peroperative endotracheal fiberoptic endoscopic control. Three tracheal stenoses were observed: however respiratory tract burns had occurred all three of these patients. In the literature, most of which has been written by intensive care physicians, it is rather surprising to note the enthusiasm for percutaneous tracheotomy based on the high risk of complications of the surgical technique. Moreover, possible late after effects of percutaneous tracheotomy remain unknown as few survivors have been seen again late after use of this recent technique.

[A cause of intubation failure: a subglottic bridge]. / Une cause d'intubation impossible: la bride sous-glottique.

We report the case of a patient with a history of facio-thoracic burns, the treatment of which included prolonged intubation, whose trachea could not be intubated because of a subglottic obstacle. The ventilation was easily controlled with a laryngeal mask. At the end of surgery for postburn cheloids, laryngoscopy through the laryngeal mask showed a transversal subglottic laryngeal band, a probable sequela of the previous prolonged intubation. The band was resected one week later. The conventional indicators for difficult intubation cannot detect the laryngotracheal obstacles to tracheal tube insertion.

[Anatomo-clinical criteria of cutaneous melanoma with spontaneous and complete regression. Apropos of a case]. / Critères anatomo-cliniques du mélanome cutané spontanément et complètement régressif. A propos d'un cas.

We report a case of a 73 year old man presented a spontaneously and completely regression cutaneous malignant melanoma with cervical lymph node metastasis, confirmed by clinical and histopathologic observations. The authors examine the features of regression of primary malignant melanoma through a review of the literature.

[Inhalation burns: apropos of 198 cases. Incidence of laryngotracheal involvement]. / Les brûlures par inhalation: à propos de 198 cas incidence de l'atteinte laryngo-trachéale.

Inhalation burns and laryngotracheal involvement were studied in a retrospective series of 635 patients hospitalized for skin burns at the Center for Burn Treatment from January 1993 to January 1997. Inhalation burns were observed in 31.1% of the cases. Exclusive laryngeal involvement occurred in 19.6% of the inhalation burns. Both tracheobronchial and laryngeal burns were observed in 27.2%. Patients with inhalation burns also had facial burns (90.9%) and extensive (> 50%) or severe (UBS > 200) skin burns in 39.8% and 29.7% of the cases respectively. Mortality of skin burns was increased six-fold to 19.1% in patients who also had inhalation burns. Intubation was used alone in 60.1% and was followed by tracheotomy in 27.2%. The decision for tracheotomy was essentially based on the probable duration of ventilatory assistance. Tracheotomy was required in case of severe inhalation burns and the predictable duration of intubation was over 8 days. Laryngotracheal stenosis occurring after inhalation burns is complex and extensive, with great variability over time. Laryngotracheal calibration is indicated as first intention therapy.

[Dr. Samuel Serge Voronoff (1866-1951) or "the quest for eternal youth"]. / Le Docteur Samuel Serge Voronoff (1866-1951) ou "la quête de l'éternelle jeunesse".

Samuel Serge Voronoff, a French physician and surgeon of Russian origin was the Khédive's personal physician from 1896 to 1910 and the instigator of modern medicine in Egypt. He was later a student and friend of Alexis Carrel as soon as 1910 and directed a service of bone grafts during World War I. Between 1912 and 1949 he published the results of his experimental work at his Voronoff Foundation of the Collège de France and at Grimaldi where he performed homografts of endocrine glands of cattle and corresponding heterografts between great primates and man. Contested since 1922 by his colleagues for his results however histologically confirmed and improved durable, Voronoff who had an audience in the Académie des Sciences will proceed his research with success during the period preceding World War II. He grafted old people in senior homes and Government cattle in Algeria, training followers in Italy and California. In 1939 he gave all his research facilities at the Collège de France to René Leriche (1879-1955) and remained on the American continent until 1945. At that time his theories became obsolete in view of the progress in endocrinology and his laboratories were destroyed during the war. He died in Lausanne in 1951 at 85. The recent epidemics caused by HIV suggests to study the work he performed in the Collège de France.

[Radiologic pitfalls of mandibular fractures]. / Pièges radiologiques des fractures mandibulaires.

Analysis of a large series of patients treated for mandibular fractures showed pitfalls in assessment of radiologic images in six cases. Factors predisposing to these radiologic pitfalls are discussed, multiple radiographic projections being suggested if discordance exists between radiologic and clinical findings, to obtain maximum data from a three dimensional picture of the mandible.

Bacteremia during tonsillectomy.

To determine the risk of bacteremia during tonsillectomy, we cultured blood specimens that were taken from 32 children during surgery and tonsillar swabs that were obtained just before excision, and compared the results with quantitative cultures of the excised tonsillar tissue. Twenty-five children had Haemophilus influenzae within the tonsillar tissue (density range, 10(3) to 10(8) colony-forming units per gram), and seven had Streptococcus pyogenes (density, 10(3) colony-forming units per gram in one case, 10(5) colony-forming units per gram in one case, and 10(6) colony-forming units per gram in five cases). Twelve perioperative blood cultures were positive; H influenzae was found nine times, and Micrococcus species was found one time, and alpha-hemolytic streptococci were found two times. Haemophilus influenzae was always present in the corresponding tonsillar specimens, although there was no apparent relationship between the density of colonization of the tonsillar tissue and a positive blood culture.

[Mandibular fractures. Our patient enrollment during the past 2 years]. / Fractures mandibulaires. Notre recrutement au cours de ces deux dernières années.

The method of patient referral; the patient's physical predisposition, the localization and the treatment undertaken for the different mandibular fractures seen by SOS Face over the past two years were analyzed. The 312 mandibular fractures were used to reevaluate the commonly accepted statistics concerning these parameters.

[Maxillary Aspergillus sinusitis. Comments apropos of 20 cases]. / Les sinusites maxillaires aspergillaires. Commentaires à propos de 20 cas.

About a series of 20 aspergillus maxillary sinusitis, the correlation between this pathology and previous dental treatments is emphasized. In some cases such as sinusitis can occur without any dental pathology and/or in absence of foreign body on the X-rays. C.T. findings are the basis of the diagnosis. Surgical treatment, using endonasal micro surgery, has been performed in all cases.

[Petrous surgical approaches in tumors of the cerebellopontine angle]. / Les voies d'abord pétreuses des tumeurs de l'angle ponto-cérébelleux.

Three petrous incisions, performed by an ENT-neurosurgery team, can be used for the resection of tumours of the cerebellopontine angle: transpetrosal incisions (posterior translabyrinthine and transcochlear) which provide large access to the IAM and the posterior surface of the petrous bone, but they sacrifice hearing. The suprapetrosal incision (reserved for tumours in the meatus) and the mastoidoretrosigmoid incision (for tumours less than or equal to 20 mm) preserve the labyrinth in an attempt to preserve hearing. The principal objectives of surgical resection of tumours of the cerebellopontine angle (85% of which are acoustic neuromas) are total resection (to preserve the vital prognosis) and preservation of facial nerve function. Attempts to preserve hearing must be confined to cases selected by a complete clinical otological and audiometric examination.

[Evaluation of the prognosis of facial paralysis after surgery of acoustic neurinoma by an early Hilger's test]. / Evaluation du pronostic des paralysies faciales après chirurgie du neurinome de l'acoustique par la pratique précoce du test de Hilger.

Surgery for acoustic neuroma is highly risky for the facial nerve. This is why we have tried to assess immediate postoperative facial impairment by performing Hilger's test within the first few hours. Further evolution of the facial function showed the predictive value of Hilger's test as regards facial recovery. Indeed, a difference greater than 2 mA as compared with the opposite side indicates a lack of facial recovery at the 3rd postoperative month. In addition, facial muscle testing performed within the first postoperative 72 hours makes the prognosis of facial function recovery possible. Lack of facial recovery at the 3rd postoperative month was observed for neuromas with a diameter exceeding 2 cm. Preoperative assessment of the risk of facial sequellae is fundamental and essentially depends on the size of the tumor and on the surgical approach. Intraoperative facial monitoring allows better ensuring the preservation of the VIIth cranial nerve and consequently improves postoperative function.

[Pharyngolaryngeal fibroscopy under general anesthesia in children. Technique and indications in sleep apnea and hypopnea]. / Pharyngo-laryngo-fibroscopie sous anesthésie générale chez l'enfant. Technique et indications dans les apnées/hypopnées du sommeil.

The frequency of obstructive sleep apnea syndromes in children is not negligible. The diagnosis is based on the parents' answers and on sleep recordings. Radiographs sometimes help defining the site of obstruction. However, except when there is a considerable, clinically obvious tonsillar hypertrophy (which is fortunately the most frequent case), the exact location of the obstruction may be difficult to assess. In fact, it is far less obvious and more often multiple than in adults, especially in cases of craniofacial malformation. A pharyngolaryngeal exploration technique with a flexible endoscope under general anesthesia (GA) has been developed in our department. With natural ventilation, when a GA is induced with halothane through a mask, muscular relaxation similar to that of natural sleep is obtained. A thin flexible endoscope is then inserted through the mask to observe the obstructive structures at the nasal, rhino/oropharyngeal or pharyngolaryngeal levels. During the past two years, 17 children were examined with this technique, which allows an extremely accurate diagnosis of the site of the obstruction. Four children had a craniofacial malformation. The examination evidenced 9 cases of adenotonsillar hypertrophy, 4 cases of dynamic laryngeal obstruction, 3 cases of basilingual obstruction and one case of circular collapse of the oropharynx. The evolution under treatment confirm the merits of this endoscopic examination technique for the etiological diagnosis of respiratory obstruction.