Rapid review: sinonasal surgery vs. medical therapy for asthma in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps.

The objective of the study was to compare the effect of sinonasal surgery vs. medical treatment on asthma in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps. We executed a PRISMA guidelines-based systematic search of the following databases: PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, Scopus and CINAHL. The search ran from database inception until 26 Feb 2014. We included controlled clinical trials comparing surgical intervention with medical intervention in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps. We included only English papers. We used a pre-defined data collection form. Two authors independently assessed study quality. We assessed directness of evidence and risk of bias using pre-defined criteria. Our search yielded 2004 original articles, six of which satisfied our inclusion criteria. One article was excluded from further review because no comparison could be made of the subgroup of operated asthmatic patients versus the non-surgical control group. Only one study used objective pulmonary function measurements in asthmatics undergoing sinonasal surgery and therefore had the highest directness of evidence. Also it had a low risk of bias. Patient characteristics, treatments and outcome measures varied across studies, as did the observed effect. Risk of bias was high in most studies. Patient characteristics, treatment and outcome measurement differed across studies, making a comparison of the effects difficult. There is a risk of publication language bias. There is insufficient evidence either for or against sinonasal surgery for asthma control as compared to medical treatment.

Initial experiences with endoscopic rhino-neurosurgery in Amsterdam.

Endoscopic surgery of the skull base has been on the rise for several years. Endoscopic access for surgery can be achieved from the frontal sinus anteriorly along the skull base to the odontoid process posterior inferiorly. An endoscope is inserted through one nasal corridor and allows visualization of the working field and up to three surgical instruments can be used to address the lesion. This is called the "two nostrils-four hands technique". This is a retrospective study of 67 cases. Setting of the study is an Amsterdam University hospital. Cases were identified in the department of otorhinolaryngology and department of neurosurgery database. All patients operated between 1 January, 2008 and 1 February, 2012 with pituitary tumours that extend beyond the sella, sinonasal tumours and all non-pituitary skull-base tumours were included. Mean tumour diameter was 3.8 cm. We performed a near-to-gross total resection in 92% of cases where we intended to perform a total resection. The most frequent complication was CSF leakage. This study demonstrates that this technique is safe and reliable. What is needed is a dedicated team, which includes a dedicated anesthesiologist, endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, and radiation oncologist.

Gender-affirmation surgery and bariatric surgery in transgender individuals in The Netherlands: Considerations, surgical techniques and outcomes.

Introduction: The number of transgender individuals seeking medical and surgical care has increased over the last years. Within the transgender population overweight and obesity is more frequently observed when compared to the general population. Little is known on the prevalence of bariatric surgery in the transgender population and the effects on the surgical gender transition path of the individual transgender with overweight or obesity. Material and methods: All transgender individuals who underwent gender-affirming surgery (GAS) between 1980 and 2020 were retrospectively identified from our hospital registry. Those with a history of bariatric surgery were selected. A retrospective chart study was conducted, recording gender identity, bariatric surgery specifications, gender surgery specifications, complications, reoperations and clinical follow-up time. Results: A total of 15 transgender individuals (11 transgender men, 4 transgender women) who underwent bariatric surgery were identified. All individuals underwent bariatric surgery before any GAS procedure, except for one transgender man. At the first GAS procedure, all individuals experienced significant weight loss when compared to their weight at bariatric surgery (mean 13.1 ± 3.8 BMI points lost for transgender men, mean BMI points lost 14.3 ± 2.8 for transgender women, p < 0.01). Obesity was still frequently prevalent in transgender men after bariatric surgery. All included transgender men underwent mastectomy via the double incision with free nipple grafting technique. Only one transgender man underwent genital GAS. All transgender women underwent penile-inversion vaginoplasty, one in combination with prosthesis-based augmentation mammoplasty. Conclusion: Surgical gender transition is possible after massive weight loss after bariatric surgery. Specific surgical subtechniques will be more prevalent in this population.