Infrared Fluorescence-guided Surgery for Tumor and Metastatic Lymph Node Detection in Head and Neck Cancer.

In patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), surgical removal of cancerous tissue presents the best overall survival rate. However, failure to obtain negative margins during resection has remained a steady concern over the past 3 decades. The need for improved tumor removal and margin assessment presents an ongoing concern for the field. While near-infrared agents have long been used in imaging, investigation of these agents for use in HNC imaging has dramatically expanded in the past decade. Targeted tracers for use in primary and metastatic lymph node detection are of particular interest, with panitumumab-IRDye800 as a major candidate in current studies. This review aims to provide an overview of intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence-guided surgery techniques used in the clinical detection of malignant tissue and sentinel lymph nodes in HNC, highlighting current applications, limitations, and future directions for use of this technology within the field. Keywords: Molecular Imaging-Cancer, Fluorescence © RSNA, 2024.

How far are we off? Analyzing the accuracy of surgical margin relocation in the head and neck.

BACKGROUND: Positive surgical margin rates remain high in head and neck cancer surgery. Relocation is challenging given the complex, three-dimensional (3D) anatomy. METHODS: Prospective, multi-institutional study to determine accuracy of head and neck surgeons and pathologists relocating margins on virtual 3D specimen models using written descriptions from pathology reports. Using 3D models of 10 head and neck surgical specimens, each participant relocated 20 mucosal margins (10 perpendicular, 10 shave). RESULTS: A total of 32 participants, 23 surgeons and 9 pathologists, marked 640 margins. Of the 320 marked perpendicular margins, 49.7% were greater than 1 centimeter from the true margin with a mean relocation error of 10.2 mm. Marked shave margins overlapped with the true margin a mean 54% of the time, with no overlap in 44 of 320 (13.8%) shave margins. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical margin relocation is imprecise and challenging even for experienced surgeons and pathologists. New communication technologies are needed.

3D Printing for the Development of Palatal Defect Prosthetics.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a promising new technology for the development of surgical prosthetics. Research in orthopedic surgery has demonstrated that using 3D printed customized prosthetics results in more precise implant placements and better patient outcomes. However, there has been little research on implementing customized 3D printed prosthetics in otolaryngology. The program sought to determine whether computed tomography (CT) serves as feasible templates to construct 3D printed palatal obturator prosthetics for defects in patients who have been treated for head and neck cancers. Observations: A retrospective review of patients with palatal defects was conducted and identified 1 patient with high quality CTs compatible with 3D modeling. CTs of the patient's craniofacial anatomy were used to develop a 3D model and a Formlabs 3B+ printer printed the palatal prosthetic. We successfully developed and produced an individualized prosthetic using CTs from a veteran with head and neck deformities caused by cancer treatment who was previously treated at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. This project was successful in printing patient-specific implants using CT reproductions of the patient's craniofacial anatomy, particularly of the palate. The program was a proof of concept and the implant we created was not used on the patient. Conclusions: Customized 3D printed implants may allow otolaryngologists to enhance the performance and efficiency of surgeries and better rehabilitate and reconstruct craniofacial deformities to restore appearance and function to patients. Additional research will strive to enhance the therapeutic potential of these prosthetics to serve as low-cost, patient-specific implants.

Validation of the Melanoma Institute of Australia's Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Risk Prediction Tool for Cutaneous Melanoma.

BACKGROUND: For patients with cutaneous melanoma, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is used to stage regional lymph nodes pathologically and inform prognosis, treatment, and surveillance. To reduce unnecessary surgeries, predictive tools aim to identify those at lowest risk for node-positive disease. The Melanoma Institute of Australia (MIA)'s Prediction Tool for Sentinel Node Metastasis Risk estimates risk of a positive SLNB using patient age and primary melanoma Breslow depth, histologic subtype, ulceration, mitotic rate, and lymphovascular invasion. METHODS: A single-institution validation was performed of the MIA Calculator with 982 cutaneous melanoma patients that included all relevant clinicopathologic factors and SLNB pathology outcomes. The study evaluated discrimination via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration via calibration plots, and clinical utility via decision curve analysis of the MIA model in various subgroups. The data were fit to MIA model parameters via a generalized linear model to assess the odds ratio of parameters in our dataset. RESULTS: The Calculator demonstrated limited discrimination based on ROC curves (C-statistic, 0.709) and consistently underestimated risk of SLN positivity. It did not provide a net benefit over SLNB performed on all patients or reduce unnecessary procedures in the risk domain of 0% to 16%. Compared with the original development and validation cohorts, the current study cohort had thinner tumors and a larger proportion of acral melanomas. CONCLUSIONS: The Calculator generally underestimated SLN positivity risk, including assessment in patients who would be counseled to forego SLNB based on a predicted risk lower than 5%. Recognition of the tool's current limitations emphasizes the need to refine it further for use in medical decision-making.

Virtual Resection Specimen Interaction Using Augmented Reality Holograms to Guide Margin Communication and Flap Sizing.

Head and neck surgeons often have difficulty in relocating sites of positive margins due to the complex 3-dimensional (3D) anatomy of the head and neck. We introduce a new technique where resection specimens are 3D scanned with a smartphone, annotated in computer-assisted design software, and immediately visualized on augmented reality (AR) glasses. The 3D virtual specimen can be accurately superimposed onto surgical sites for orientation and sizing applications. During an operative workshop, a surgeon using AR glasses projected virtual, annotated specimen models back into the resection bed onto a cadaver within approximately 10 minutes. Colored annotations can correspond with pathologic annotations and guide the orientation of the virtual 3D specimen. The model was also overlayed onto a flap harvest site to aid in reconstructive planning. We present a new technique allowing interactive, sterile inspection of tissue specimens in AR that could facilitate communication among surgeons and pathologists and assist with reconstructive surgery.

The Evolution of Fluorescence-Guided Surgery.

There has been continual development of fluorescent agents, imaging systems, and their applications over the past several decades. With the recent FDA approvals of 5-aminolevulinic acid, hexaminolevulinate, and pafolacianine, much of the potential that fluorescence offers for image-guided oncologic surgery is now being actualized. In this article, we review the evolution of fluorescence-guided surgery, highlight the milestones which have contributed to successful clinical translation, and examine the future of targeted fluorescence imaging.

89Zr-panitumumab Combined With 18F-FDG PET Improves Detection and Staging of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Determine the safety and specificity of a tumor-targeted radiotracer (89Zr-pan) in combination with 18F-FDG PET/CT to improve diagnostic accuracy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Adult patients with biopsy-proven HNSCC scheduled for standard-of-care surgery were enrolled in a clinical trial and underwent systemic administration of 89Zirconium-panitumumab and panitumumab-IRDye800 followed by preoperative 89Zr-pan PET/CT and intraoperative fluorescence imaging. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of fourteen patients were enrolled and completed the study. Four patients (28.5%) had areas of high 18F-FDG uptake outside the head and neck region with maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) greater than 2.0 that were not detected on 89Zr-pan PET/CT. These four patients with incidental findings underwent further workup and had no evidence of cancer on biopsy or clinical follow-up. Forty-eight lesions (primary tumor, LNs, incidental findings) with SUVmax ranging 2.0-23.6 were visualized on 18F-FDG PET/CT; 34 lesions on 89Zr-pan PET/CT with SUVmax ranging 0.9-10.5. The combined ability of 18F-FDG PET/CT and 89Zr-pan PET/CT to detect HNSCC in the whole body was improved with higher specificity of 96.3% [confidence interval (CI), 89.2%-100%] compared to 18F-FDG PET/CT alone with specificity of 74.1% (CI, 74.1%-90.6%). One possibly related grade 1 adverse event of prolonged QTc (460 ms) was reported but resolved in follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: 89Zr-pan PET/CT imaging is safe and may be valuable in discriminating incidental findings identified on 18F-FDG PET/CT from true positive lesions and in localizing metastatic LNs.

Fluorescent Molecular Imaging Can Improve Intraoperative Sentinel Margin Detection in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

In head and neck cancer, a major limitation of current intraoperative margin analysis is the ability to detect areas most likely to be positive based on specimen palpation, especially for larger specimens where sampling error limits detection of positive margins. This study aims to prospectively examine the clinical value of fluorescent molecular imaging to accurately identify "the sentinel margin," the point on a specimen at which the tumor lies closest to the resected edge in real-time during frozen section analysis. Methods: Eighteen patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled into a prospective clinical trial and infused intravenously with 50 mg of panitumumab-IRDye800CW 1-5 d before surgery. Resected specimens were imaged in a closed-field near-infrared optical imaging system in near real-time, and custom-designed software was used to identify locations of highest fluorescence on deep and peripheral margins. The surgeon identified the sentinel margin masked to optical specimen mapping, and then the regions of highest fluorescence were identified and marked for frozen analysis. Final pathology based on specimen reconstruction was used as reference standard. Results: Resected specimens were imaged in the operating room, and fluorescence had a higher interobserver agreement with pathology (Cohen κ value 0.96) than the surgeon (Cohen κ value of 0.82) for the location of the closest margin. Plotting margin distance at the predicted sentinel margin location of each observer versus the actual closest margin distance at pathology demonstrated best correlation between fluorescence and pathology (R2 = 0.98) with surgeon (R2 = 0.75). Conclusion: Fluorescence imaging can improve identification of the sentinel margin in head and neck cancer resections, holding promise for rapid identification of positive margins and improved oncologic outcomes.

Landscape of innate lymphoid cells in human head and neck cancer reveals divergent NK cell states in the tumor microenvironment.

Natural killer (NK) cells comprise one subset of the innate lymphoid cell (ILC) family. Despite reported antitumor functions of NK cells, their tangible contribution to tumor control in humans remains controversial. This is due to incomplete understanding of the NK cell states within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we demonstrate that peripheral circulating NK cells differentiate down two divergent pathways within the TME, resulting in different end states. One resembles intraepithelial ILC1s (ieILC1) and possesses potent in vivo antitumor activity. The other expresses genes associated with immune hyporesponsiveness and has poor antitumor functional capacity. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) and direct contact between the tumor cells and NK cells are required for the differentiation into CD49a+CD103+ cells, resembling ieILC1s. These data explain the similarity between ieILC1s and tissue-resident NK cells, provide insight into the origin of ieILC1s, and identify the ieILC1-like cell state within the TME to be the NK cell phenotype with the greatest antitumor activity. Because the proportions of the different ILC states vary between tumors, these findings provide a resource for the clinical study of innate immune responses against tumors and the design of novel therapy.

Metastatic and sentinel lymph node mapping using intravenously delivered Panitumumab-IRDye800CW.

Rationale: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a well-established minimally invasive staging procedure that maps the spread of tumour metastases from their primary site to the regional lymphatics. Currently, the procedure requires the local peri-tumoural injection of radiolabelled and/or optical agents, and is therefore operator dependent, disruptive to surgical workflow and restricted largely to a small subset of malignancies that can be readily accessed externally for local tracer injection. The present study set out to determine whether intravenous (IV) infusion of a tumor-targeted tracer could identify sentinel and metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) in order to overcome these limitations. Methods: We examined 27 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), 18 of whom were clinically node negative (cN0). Patients were infused intravenously with 50mg of Panitumumab-IRDye800CW prior to surgical resection of their primary tumour with neck dissection and/or SLNB. Lymphadenectomy specimens underwent fluorescence molecular imaging to evaluate tracer distribution to LNs. Results: A total of 960 LNs were analysed, of which 34 (3.5%) contained metastatic disease. Panitumumab-IRDye800CW preferentially localized to metastatic and sentinel LNs as evidenced by a higher fluorescent signal relative to other lymph nodes. The median MFI of metastatic LNs was significantly higher than the median MFI of benign LNs (0.06 versus 0.02, p < 0.05). Furthermore, selecting the highest five fluorescence intensity LNs from individual specimens resulted in 100% sensitivity, 85.8% specificity and 100% negative predictive value (NPV) for the detection of occult metastases and 100% accuracy for clinically staging the neck. In the cN+ cohort, assessment of the highest 5 fluorescence LNs per patient had 87.5% sensitivity, 93.2% specificity and 99.1% NPV for the detection of metastatic nodes. Conclusion: When intravenously infused, a tumour-targeted tracer localized to sentinel and metastatic lymph nodes. Further validation of an IV tumor-targeted tracer delivery approach for SLNB could dramatically change the practice of SLNB, allowing its application to other malignancies where the primary tumour is not accessible for local tracer injection.

Multifocal Parotid Oncocytic Cystadenomatosis: A Rare Process that Can Mimic Malignancy.

Multifocal cystic oncocytosis (MCO) is a rare, benign process accounting for approximately 0.1% of salivary gland lesions. Salivary oncocytosis is characterized by multiple unencapsulated solid nodules of oncocytic cells derived from transformed striated ducts. MCO is a variant of salivary oncocytosis which manifests as cystically dilated striated ducts. It is difficult to obtain a definitive preoperative diagnosis of MCO; therefore, these lesions are commonly treated with surgery. We report the unique case of a 66-year-old male who previously underwent a superficial left parotidectomy for a pleomorphic adenoma. Four years later, he presented with clinical and radiographic suspicion of a multifocal recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. The patient subsequently underwent a revision parotidectomy. However, final pathology confirmed a diagnosis of MCO. Although MCO is commonly treated with surgery due to lack of a definitive preoperative diagnosis, surgery is unnecessary outside of diagnostic, functional or cosmetic considerations. Thus, if a patient with parotid oncocytosis treated by superficial parotidectomy develops disease re-manifestation in the residual deep lobe, further surgery is not indicated. There is no risk of malignant progression in this process. We report on this unusual entity as it may mimic salivary malignancy or, as in this case, recurrence of benign disease.

Effect of Formalin Fixation for Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging with an Antibody-Dye Conjugate in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the effect of formalin fixation for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging of an antibody-dye complex (panitumumab-IRDye800CW) that was intravenously administered to patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) scheduled to undergo surgery of curative intent. PROCEDURES: HNSCC patients were infused with 25 or 50 mg of panitumumab-IRDye800CW followed by surgery 1-5 days later. Following resection, primary tumor specimens were imaged in a closed-field fluorescence imaging device, before and after formalin fixation. The fluorescence images of formalin-fixed specimens were compared with images prior to formalin fixation. Regions of interest were drawn on the primary tumor and on the adjacent normal tissue on the fluorescence images. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBRs) of the fresh and formalin-fixed tissues were compared. RESULTS: Of the 30 enrolled patients, 20 tissue specimens were eligible for this study. Formalin fixation led to an average of 10 % shrinkage in tumor specimen size (p < 0.0001). Tumor MFI in formalin-fixed specimens was on average 10.9 % lower than that in the fresh specimens (p = 0.0002). However, no statistical difference was found between the TBRs of the fresh specimens and those of the formalin-fixed specimens (p = 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the 11 % decrease in MFI between fresh and formalin-fixed tissue specimens, the relative difference between tumor and normal tissue as measured in TBR remained unchanged. This data suggests that evaluation of formalin-fixed tissue for assessing the accuracy of fluorescence-guided surgery approaches could provide a valid, yet more flexible, alternative to fresh tissue analysis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02415881.

Oral squamous carcinoma: Aggressive tumor pattern of invasion predicts direct mandible invasion.

BACKGROUND: Aggressive histologic worst pattern of invasion (WPOI) in surrounding soft tissue has been shown to be predictive of higher local recurrence and poorer survival in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) patients. This study investigates whether aggressive WPOI can predict the mandibular invasion phenotype. METHODS: Patients consecutively diagnosed with OCSCC undergoing a mandibulectomy (marginal or segmental) between 2013 and 2018 were reviewed. Senior physicians re-reviewed radiologic scans and pathologic slides of 44 cases. RESULTS: Aggressive WPOI (WPOI-4, 5) is significantly associated with infiltrative bone invasion. Non-aggressive WPOI (WPOI-1, 2, 3) is significantly associated with the absence of bone invasion. CONCLUSIONS: WPOI has become a useful tool that further characterizes the biologic behavior of OCSCC. Potentially, planned surgery may escalate from a marginal to segmental mandibulectomy based on aggressive WPOI for patients with radiographically uncertain cortical status. Further studies are needed to validate the relationship between OCSCC WPOI and mandible status.

Radiographic surveillance of abdominal free fat graft in complex parotid pleomorphic adenomas: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Free abdominal fat transfer is commonly used to restore facial volume and improve cosmesis after parotidectomy for pleomorphic adenomas. We describe the radiographic characteristics of these grafts on follow-up imaging. METHODS: Medical records of four patients who underwent parotidectomy with abdominal fat graft in 2016 and had follow up imaging available were retrospectively analyzed. An otolaryngologist and neuroradiologist reviewed imaging studies, evaluated the fat grafts, and monitored for residual or recurrent disease. RESULTS: The abdominal fat was successfully grafted in all four patients. Post-operative baseline magnetic resonance imaging and additional surveillance imaging showed fat grafts with minimal volume loss. However, there was development of irregular enhancement consistent with fat necrosis in two of the four patients. CONCLUSIONS: Radiographic surveillance of free fat graft reconstruction after pleomorphic adenoma resection shows minimal contraction in size but development of fat necrosis. Recognition of expected changes should help avoid confusion with residual or recurrent disease, reassuring both patient and treating physician.

Positive Lymph Node Counts in American Thyroid Association Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Current American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines state that patients with intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) may benefit from remnant ablation. One criterion for intermediate-risk classification is >5 positive lymph nodes (LNs). We investigate whether performing step-sectioning of LNs increases the metastatic detection rate, thereby influencing ATA risk of recurrence (ROR) classification. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of cases in which ≥ 5 LNs were removed during thyroidectomy and ≤5 LNs were found positive for PTC. Step-sectioning was performed on the original tissue blocks. All slides were re-reviewed by a senior pathologist. RESULTS: Twenty patients met study criteria. Step-sectioning significantly increased LN yield compared to standard sectioning. In total, we found 12 new positive lymph nodes; seven (58%) were in totally new lymph nodes, while five (42%) were in lymph nodes previously read as negative. All newly discovered metastases were classified as micrometastases (≤2 mm). Of the 15 patients originally classified as low-risk, the step-sectioning protocol impacted two patients (13%), increasing ROR stratification. CONCLUSION: Intensive step-sectioning reveals additional micrometastases. More detailed analysis did not identify clinically significant nodal disease likely to impact the clinical course of patients in this study. Our study supports current standards of pathology specimen handling related to LN assessment and the impact on ATA ROR classification. Nonetheless, it is important for clinicians to understand their institution's sectioning protocol utilized to report positive and total LN counts, which could impact ATA risk stratification and denote the comprehensive nature of the LN dissection that was performed.

Reconstructive and prosthodontic outcomes after multiple palatomaxillary reconstructions.

OBJECTIVE: A subset of patients who undergo major palatomaxillary reconstruction do not initially achieve their intended oncologic and/or reconstructive goals and require additional surgery. We aim to detail the unique management considerations in this patient population. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent palatomaxillary reconstruction by the senior author (m.l.u.) between 1998 and 2016. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients required multiple reconstructions. The median time to second reconstruction was 17 months. The most common reason for a second reconstruction was for recurrent disease (10 of 21), followed by functional/aesthetic reasons (7 of 21) and osteoradionecrosis (4 of 21). Four patients went on to have a third reconstruction, and two underwent a fourth. A total of 27 reconstructions were performed, consisting of 20 soft tissue free flaps, four vascularized bone free flaps, and three locoregional flaps. CONCLUSION: This patient cohort represents unique oncologic and reconstructive challenges. With long-term follow-up, multiple reconstructions may be required to optimize oncologic and functional/aesthetic outcomes. This is the first series of its kind that details the reasons for, as well as the outcomes of, patients who required multiple reconstructive procedures following initial palatomaxillary reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2B Laryngoscope, 130:2349-2353, 2020.

Ten patients with high-grade transformation of acinic cell carcinomas: Expression profiling of ß-catenin and cyclin D1 is useful.

Conventional acinic cell carcinoma (CACC) represents a prototypical low-grade salivary malignancy. Rarely, acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) can demonstrate aggressive features (zones of necrosis, apoptosis, varying nuclear atypia) warranting classification as "ACC with high-grade transformation" (HGT-ACC) or "dedifferentiated" ACC. This study reports ten new cases of HGT-ACC. There is potential for subtlety in recognizing high-grade transformation and distinguishing discrete nodules of necrosis from cytology aspiration changes. We compared immunohistochemical (IHC) profiles, specifically ß-catenin (bCAT) and cyclin D1 expression, which have been touted as potentially helpful in this context. We quantified morphology (primary axis nucleus, nuclear area and perimeter) in HGT-ACC and CACC. Clinical outcome is known for eight HGT-ACC patients; three patients developed locoregional or distant metastases, five remained disease-free. Nine of ten HGT-ACC expressed strong, diffuse, membranous bCAT. CACC demonstrated lower intensity of membranous bCAT expression. Strong, diffuse nuclear cyclin D1 was seen in five of ten HGT-ACC whereas no CACC demonstrated cyclin D1 with distribution greater than 50 %. The quantified nuclear morphologic features of CACC and HGT-ACC demonstrated overlapping means values. Maximum values for nuclear primary axis, area, and perimeter were greater for HGT-ACC versus CACC, corresponding to a subpopulation of larger tumor cells in HGT-ACC. The poor outcome associated with HGT-ACC justifies its recognition, which should alter surgical approach with respect to elective neck dissection or possible facial nerve sacrifice. With respect to ancillary IHC studies, strong, diffuse membranous bCAT expression, with or without strong nuclear cyclin D1 ≥ 50 % distribution or Ki67 index ≥ 25 % supports this diagnosis.

Endoscopic Fluorescence-Guided Surgery for Sinonasal Cancer Using an Antibody-Dye Conjugate.

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic resection of sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma has become the standard of care, but challenges remain in obtaining clear resection margins. The current study evaluated the feasibility of endoscopic fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) to improve surgical resection in a human sinus surgical model. METHODS: A fluorescence endoscope optimized for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence detection was evaluated in a phantom study. Various endoscope diameters (4 and 10 mm) and viewing angles (0, 30, and 45 degrees) were evaluated to determine the sensitivity of the system for IRDye800CW detection at various working distances (1-5 cm). Endoscopic FGS was then validated in a three-dimensional human sinus surgical model to which squamous cell tumors derived from mice were inserted. Mice had received intravenous panitumumab-IRDye800CW and upon fluorescence-guided tumor resection, mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and tumor-to-background ratio (TBR) were calculated in in situ and ex vivo settings. RESULTS: A significantly higher fluorescence intensity was found when using the 10-mm diameter endoscope compared to the 4mm diameter endoscope (P < .001). No significant difference in MFI was found among the viewing angles of the 4-mm diameter endoscope. Using the human sinus model, the highest MFI and TBR were obtained at a 1-cm working distance compared to longer working distances. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that clinically acceptable TBRs were obtained with several working distances to discriminate tumor tissue from adjacent normal tissue in a human sinus model, and that endoscopic FGS may have great potential in identifying residual tumor tissue regions during surgery. Laryngoscope, 2019.

Management of orbital complications in palatomaxillary reconstruction: A review of preemptive and corrective measures.

BACKGROUND: Reconstruction of orbit-sparing palatomaxillary defects requires consideration of globe dystopia, orbital volume, eyelid position and function, and the nasolacrimal system to preserve and optimize vision, globe protection, and appearance. We describe the fundamentals of orbital and eyelid anatomy, common orbital complications related to palatomaxillary reconstruction, and preemptive and corrective surgical techniques to be utilized during and after globe-sparing palatomaxillary reconstruction. METHODS: We present a review of the literature supplemented by clinical case examples. RESULTS: We advocate for the use of preemptive and corrective techniques to ensure optimal aesthetic and functional outcomes for patients with orbital defects. CONCLUSIONS: Recognition and anticipation of problems in patients undergoing midface ablative and reconstructive procedures are vital to the implementation of corrective measures. Incision choice, orbital volume restoration, appropriate orbital floor reconstruction, and permanent or temporary lower eyelid suspension during the primary surgery can all significantly impact the development of long-term orbital complications.

Development of proficiency-based knot-tying and suturing curriculum for otolaryngology residents: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Basic surgical skills such as knot-tying and suturing are important for all otolaryngologists, regardless of subspecialty. The present study was undertaken in order to assess basic surgical techniques such as knot-tying and suturing required for novice otolaryngology residents with taking the variety of subspecialties into consideration, and evaluate the impact of a proficiency-based training curriculum based on these techniques. METHODS: A prospective study was performed for developing of proficiency-based knot-tying and suturing curriculum for otolaryngology residents in the third post-graduate year (PGY-3). The proficiency-based training curriculum was developed based on the tasks selected by RAND/UCLA method with expert panel, which is an iterative and anonymous survey used to establish consensus among participants. Expert panelists were selected from various divisions to reflect variety of their subspecialties. PGY-3 residents trained with the developed curriculum that included proctored pre-test, self-training to proficiency, and proctored post-test. Visual analogue scale (VAS) of trainees' overall competence in the operating room was self-assessed by each resident, before and after completing the training curriculum. RESULTS: Nine PGY-3 residents were enrolled as trainees. Eleven experts chosen as panelists had various subspecialty, including 2 from otology, 2 from rhinology, 2 from laryngology, 2 from head and neck surgery, and 3 from general otolaryngology. Seven tasks were selected from RAND/UCLA method and used to develop the curriculum. Trainee scores at pre-test were significantly lower than expert scores for all 7 tasks (p < 0.01) and each coefficient of variation of trainee score was larger than that of expert score (p < 0.05), supporting construct validity. The mean of composite scores between pre-test and post-test had statistical significance (68.6 ± 11.6 vs 95.9 ± 3.6, p < 0.01), documenting substantial improvement after training. Self-assessment VAS was also improved pre- to post-training (1.2 ± 0.9 vs 4.5 ± 1.4, p < 0.01). A follow-up questionnaire showed that trainees felt the educational curriculum to be beneficial. CONCLUSION: In the present study, seven basic technical skills were selected using the RAND/UCLA method and used to create a proficiency-based training curriculum. Our results indicate that this curriculum significantly improves proficiency of basic surgical skills of junior otolaryngology residents.