Middle Ear Neuroendocrine Tumor: Case Report of a Tympanic Adenoma.

Middle ear neuroendocrine tumors (MeNETs) are an exceptionally rare occurrence. These benign tumors stem from the tympanic mucosa and can easily be misinterpreted by the clinician and the pathologist. Clinical characteristics, otoscopic findings and medical imaging in these cases are non-specific. We present a case of a 60-year-old male patient with bilateral hearing loss following recent coronavirus disease 2019 disease. Diagnostic work-up revealed a soft tissue neoplasm of the left middle ear. Surgical resection of the tumor mass with implantation of a partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP) was the main modality of treatment. Middle ear neuroendocrine tumors was confirmed through positive immunohistochemistry for neuroendocrine tumor markers. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging 12 months after the surgery reported no tumor recurrence or significant residual disease with a stable PORP. Our report highlights challenges in diagnosing and treating these rare tumors, while emphasizing surgical resection pitfalls and resulting improvement of quality of life of the patient. We recommend a through followup of patients with unclear soft tissue masses in the middle ear to obtain a definitive diagnosis.

Correlation between neural response telemetry measurements and fitting levels.

INTRODUCTION: The neural response telemetry (NRT) is a standard procedure in cochlear implantation mostly used to determine the functionality of implanted device and to check auditory nerve responds to the stimulus. Correlation between NRT measurements and subjective threshold (T) and maximum comfort (C) levels has been reported but results are inconsistent, and it is still not clear which of the NRT measurements could be the most useful in predicting fitting levels. PURPOSE: In our study we aimed to investigate which NRT measurement corresponds better to fitting levels. Impedance (IMP), Evoked Action Potential (ECAP) threshold and amplitude growth function (AGF) slope values were included in the study. Also, we tried to identify cochlear area at which the connection between NRT measurements and fitting levels would be the most pronounced. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one children implanted with Cochlear device were included in this retrospective study. IMP, ECAP thresholds and AGF were obtained intra-operatively and 12 months after surgery at electrodes 5, 11 and 19 as representative for each part of cochlea. Subjective T and C levels were obtained 12 months after the surgery during cochlear fitting. RESULTS: ECAP thresholds obtained 12 months after surgery showed statistically significant correlation to both T and C levels at all 3 selected electrodes. IMP correlated with C levels while AGF showed tendency to correlate with T levels. However, these correlations were not statistically significant for all electrodes. CONCLUSION: ECAP threshold measurements correlated to T and C values better than AGF slope and IMP. Measurements obtained twelve months after surgery seems to be more predictive of T and C values compared to intra-operative measurements. The best correlation between ECAP threshold and T and C values was found at electrode 11 suggesting NRT measurements at mid-portion cochlear region to be the most useful in predicting fitting levels.

The Relationship between Tumor Budding and Tumor Deposits in Patients with Stage III Colorectal Carcinoma.

Background/Objectives: Recently, some new morphological features of colorectal cancer have been discovered as important prognostic factors; in this paper, we study the relationship between tumor budding (TB) and tumor deposits (TDs). Methods: The retrospective cohort study included 90 patients with pathohistologically confirmed stage III CRC who were treated with radical surgical resection. All hematoxylin and eosin (H and E)-stained slides from each patient were reviewed, and histological parameters were recorded. The samples were divided into two groups with similar sizes: a group without TDs (N = 51) and a control group with TDs (N = 39). The presence and TB grade were further analyzed in these groups and compared with other clinical and histological features. Results: The prevalence of TB in the investigated cohort was unexpectedly high (94.4%). Overall, there were 23 (25.6%) Bd1, 20 (22.2%) Bd2, and 47 (52.2%) Bd3 cases. The presence of TDs was significantly associated with a higher number of TB (p < 0.001, OR 16.3) and, consequently, with a higher TB grade (p = 0.004, OR 11.04). A higher TB grade (p = 0.001, HR 2.28; 95% CI 1.93-4.76) and a growing number of TDs (p = 0.014, HR 1.52; 95% CI 1.09-2.1) were statistically significantly associated with shorter survival. Conclusions: TDs appear more often in patients with higher TB grades in stage III CRC. A higher TB grade and a growing number of TDs were statistically significantly associated with shorter overall survival. These results could give additional emphasis to the importance of TB as an adverse prognostic factor since a strong relationship with TDs has been demonstrated.

Hypercalcemia Associated With Severe Dysphagia in a Patient With Parathyroid Adenoma and Significant Cervical Spondylophytes.

Background/Objective: Severe dysphagia is a rare presenting symptom of primary hyperparathyroidism, whereas the most common hypercalcemia-related causes include gastrointestinal symptoms, such as anorexia, constipation, and pancreatitis. This case presentation aimed to describe swallowing difficulty as a leading symptom of hypercalcemia. Case Report: A 62-year-old man experienced vomiting, dysphagia bordering with aphagia, and 20-kg weight loss in a 2-month period. The parathyroid hormone and serum calcium levels were 102 pmol/L (reference range, 1.8-7.9 pmol/L) and 4.12 mmol/L (reference range, 2.14-2.53 mmol/L), respectively. Ultrasound-guided exploration of the neck revealed a large, rounded hypoechoic mass inferior to the left thyroid lobe, which contained parathyroid tissue on fine-needle aspiration cytology examination. Contrast-enhanced neck computed tomography revealed a mass measuring 3.6 × 2.6 × 2.5 cm behind the left thyroid lobe, alongside massive ventral spondylophytes of the cervical spine at the level of the postcricoid segment of the hypopharynx. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed ventral tissue displacement due to spondylophyte size and location. Surgical exploration of the left side of the neck was performed, and the left lower parathyroid gland weighing 9.07 g was excised. Pathohistologic findings verified a parathyroid gland adenoma. The postoperative values showed parathyroid hormone and serum calcium levels at 4.54 pmol/L and 2.25 mmol/L, respectively. Discussion: The pathophysiology of dysphagia in hypercalcemia is not fully elucidated. In this case, the patient's improvement after surgery implies a plausible connection between hypercalcemia and dysphagia, suggesting a causal relationship. Conclusion: Although aphagia is not a typical presenting symptom of parathyroid adenoma, it should be noted in the differential diagnosis.

Assessing Symptomatic Hypocalcemia Risk After Total Thyroidectomy: A Prospective Study.

Introduction The most common postoperative complication of total thyroidectomy is hypocalcemia, usually monitored using serum parathyroid hormone and calcium values. Objective To identify the most accurate predictors of hypocalcemia, construct a risk assesment algorithm and analyze the impact of using several calcium correction formulas in practice. Methods A prospective, single-center, non-randomized longitudinal cohort study on 205 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. Parathyroid hormone, serum, and ionized calcium were sampled post-surgery, with the presence of symptomatic or laboratory-verified asymptomatic hypocalcemia designated as primary outcome measures. Results Parathyroid hormone sampled on the first postoperative day was the most sensitive predictor of symptomatic hypocalcemia development (sensitivity 80.22%, cut-off value ≤2.03 pmol/L). A combination of serum calcium and parathyroid concentration sampled on the first postoperative day predicted the development of hypocalcemia during recovery with the highest sensitivity and specificity (94% sensitivity, cut-off ≤2.1 mmol/L, and 89% specificity, cut-off ≤1.55 pmol/L, respectively). The use of algorithms and correction formulas did not improve the accuracy of predicting symptomatic or asymptomatic hypocalcemia. Conclusions The most sensitive predictor of symptomatic hypocalcemia present on the fifth postoperative day was PTH sampled on the first postoperative day. The need for algorithms and correction formulas is limited.

Management of Implant Extrusion following Thyroplasty for Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Case Report.

The most widely used laryngeal surgery technique for patients with vocal fold paralysis is medialization thyroplasty. Materials such as Gore-Tex, silastic, and hydroxyapatite are often used, and the most worrisome possible complication is extrusion of the implant. A 36-year-old female patient with a history of pediatric cardiac surgery was diagnosed with left vocal cord paralysis after an episode of upper respiratory infection with a working diagnosis of subclinical left vocal cord paralysis following cardiac surgery. She underwent medialization thyroplasty with a Gore-Tex implant under local anesthesia. On the 21st postoperative day, she presented with sudden-onset hoarseness and dysphagia due to Gore-Tex implant extrusion. The implant was removed and augmentation of the left vocal cord with adipose tissue was performed. Only 14 cases of Gore-Tex implant extrusion have been described in the literature so far. The aim of this case report was not only to show one possible complication when using a Gore-Tex implant but also to present fat augmentation as one of the solutions for revision medialization and salvage treatment, with sustained long-term results.

In search of new stratification strategies: tissue proteomic profiling of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma in patients with localized disease and lateral neck metastases.

INTRODUCTION: Papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) are the most common thyroid malignancies that are often diagnosed as microcarcinomas when the tumor is less than one centimetre in diameter. Currently, there are no valid stratification strategies that would reliably assess the risk of lateral neck metastases and optimize surgical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aiming to find potential tissue biomarkers of metastatic potential, we conducted a cross-sectional proteomic pilot study on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of metastatic (N = 10) and non-metastatic (N = 10) papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients. Samples were analysed individually using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, and the differentially expressed proteins (DEP) were functionally annotated. RESULTS: We identified five overexpressed DEPs in the metastatic group (EPB41L2, CSE1L, GLIPR2, FGA and FGG) with a known association to tumour biology. Using bioinformatic-based tools, we found markedly different profiles of significantly enriched biological processes between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The identified DEPs might have a role as potential tissue biomarkers for PTC metastases. However, further prospective research is needed to confirm our findings.

Dedifferentiated Primary Parosteal Osteosarcoma of the Temporal Bone in a 19-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor affecting the bone but is a rare occurrence in the head and neck region. Complete surgical resection with wide surgical margins is currently the main treatment strategy for osteosarcoma but can be hard to achieve due to the complex anatomy of the head and neck. We report the first case of primary high-grade dedifferentiated parosteal osteosarcoma arising from the temporal bone in published literature. The 19-year-old patient presented with a left retroauricular lesion measuring 3 cm in diameter. Radiographic imaging and biopsy suggested the diagnosis of intermediate-grade chondrosarcoma, but definitive histopathology confirmed a diagnosis of dedifferentiated parosteal osteosarcoma. The tumor was resected with wide margins, removing the underlying temporal bone, periosteum and overlying soft tissue through a lateral temporal bone resection. The middle ear was reconstructed with cartilage grafting, and the dura of the posterior and middle cranial fossa was covered using temporal fascia grafts and local transpositional flaps. The patient is recurrence free 10 months after treatment. This report was assembled following CARE [The CARE guidelines (for Case Reports)] guidelines and describes clinical, histological, and radiological manifestations of our patient's rare clinical entity and may provide more data in treating patients with osteosarcoma affecting the anatomically complex head-and-neck region.

Impact of Intraoperative Findings on Hearing in Revision Ear Surgery.

Introduction: Hearing results after chronic ear surgery encompass recurrence, localization and extent of cholesteatoma, type of surgery, ossiculoplasty methods, but rarely interpret intraoperative findings. This study aimed to analyze the impact of intraoperative findings in revision tympanomastoidectomy in predicting postoperative hearing. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective non-randomized cohort of 101 patients treated for recurrent chronic otitis media by tympanomastoidectomy. The patients' demographics, localizations of disease recurrence and perioperative hearing results were analyzed. Results: Logistic regression showed that presence of tympanic perforation (p=0.036), ossicular chain damage (p=0.006), were negatively associated with improved hearing postoperatively. Attic cholesteatoma was associated with better postoperative hearing (p=0.045). Presence of tympanic perforation (p=0.050), alongside perifacial localization of imflammation (p=0.021) and ossicle destruction (p=0.013) were associated with worse postoperative hearing results. Multivariate analysis confirmed that tympanic perforation (p=0.040, F=4.401), and ossicular chain involvement (p=0.025, F=5.249), were consistent negative predictors of hearing improvement, while postoperative deterioration of hearing was associated with tympanic perforation (p=0.038, F=4.465) and facial nerve dehiscence (p=0.045, F=4.160). Conclusions: Comparison of postoperative revision tympanomastoidectomy hearing outcomes revealed significant positive reductions in air-bone gap values, primarily at low and mid frequencies. Postoperative hearing results at high frequencies are not affected by revision surgery.

Surgical Considerations in Addressing Cholesterol Granuloma of the Petrous Apex through an Infracochlear Approach.

Cholesterol granuloma of the petrous bone is a foreign body giant cell reaction to cholesterol deposits with symptoms including hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction, and cranial nerve deficit as a result of cystic mass compression. Surgical treatment is often difficult to plan due to limited access to the lesion and possible injury to surrounding structures. We report on a case of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma drainage through an infracochlear approach. A 27-year-old female patient presented with acute diplopia due to left-sided abducens paralysis. Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging described a 3.5-cm well-marginated lesion in petrous bone apex, compressing the left abducens nerve at the point of entry into the cavernous sinus, corresponding to cholesterol granuloma. The patients was surgically treated through a transcanal infracochlear approach, since preserving the external and middle ear conduction mechanisms was paramount for the patient. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day and diplopia resolved within 5 days postoperatively. Six months after the surgery, her hearing on the left side is normal, and she remains symptom-free. This case underpins the value of preoperative planning when approaching the petrous apex, an anatomically complex area due to abundance of important neurovascular structures crowded in a narrow and confined region.

Analysis of Prognostic Factors Impacting Pediatric Acute Mastoiditis Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of pediatric patients with acute mastoiditis while examining the role of intravenous steroid therapy, patient demographics, and serum inflammatory values as prognostic factors. METHODS: This study is a single-center retrospective observational study including 73 consecutive patients treated for acute mastoiditis in the course of the 10-year study period (January 2010 to December 2019). RESULTS: Data analysis showed that patients requiring surgical treatment (14%) had a 3-fold higher C-reactive protein value at admission compared to those treated conservatively (P < .001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that a C-reactive protein cut-off of ≥98.7 had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 74.6%, respectively, for predicting the need for surgery (area under the curve=0.927, P < .001). The duration of symptoms before hospitalization was nearly 2 days shorter in male patients (P=.031), and the use of intravenous steroid therapy significantly shortened the length of hospitalization (P=.023), by 1.4 days on average. CONCLUSION: Intravenous steroid therapy may be useful in decreasing the length of hospital stay. Mastoiditis tends to present more severely in male patients, and monitoring C-reactive protein values during treatment correlated well with the need for surgery.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Preoperative CT and Endoscopy Staging in Early Laryngeal Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative endoscopic tumor staging with regard to histopathologic staging in patients with early laryngeal cancer. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective nonrandomized single-institution comparative cohort study including 109 patients. SETTING: A tertiary surgical center. METHODS: Patients were treated for T1a, T1b, and T2a laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by endoscopic laser surgery. The outcome measures were the presence of under- or overstaging in endoscopic and CT findings and positive postoperative margins. RESULTS: Endoscopic overstaging as compared with histopathologic T category correlated with rising tumor category (P = .001; odds ratio [OR], 69.1) and CT findings showing anterior commissure involvement (P = .002; OR, 9.54), while endoscopic understaging correlated with rising tumor histologic grade (P = .039; OR, 4.28) and smaller tumor size (P = .011; OR, 6.39). CT overstaging vs histopathologic T category correlated with CT findings showing anterior commissure involvement (P = .001; OR, 21.76), supraglottic involvement (P = .001; OR, 59.98), subglottic involvement (P = .001; OR, 39.94), rising clinical T category (P = .01; OR, 9.11), and rising tumor histologic grade (P = .004; OR, 10.95). CT understaging as compared with histopathologic T category correlated with smaller clinical T categories (P = .002; OR, 12.72) and smaller tumor histologic grade (P = .030; OR, 7.02). Rising age, rising tumor size, anterior commissure involvement on CT, and tumor extension into the supraglottis were risk factors for positive margins. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that CT adds little valuable information in differentiating small superficial lesions in the glottis, while systematically overstaging cases of early laryngeal cancer. In T1a and T1b glottic tumors, endoscopy should be the preferred diagnostic method.

Systemic Inflammatory Markers as Predictors of Postoperative Complications and Survival in Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Free-Flap Reconstruction.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of systemic inflammatory indices as factors for postoperative complications and survival in patients with advanced stages of p16-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing free-flap reconstruction. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. The primary predictor variables were inflammatory markers such as neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, derived NLR, systemic immune-inflammatory index, and systemic inflammatory marker index (SIM). Multivariate regression analyses were used to measure the associations between systemic inflammatory indices and overall and disease-free survival as a primary outcome and occurrence of postoperative complications as a secondary outcome measure. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 69 male (76.67%) and 21 female (23.33%) patients, with an average age of 61.15 ± 9.79 years. The median follow-up time was 24 months, and 73 of 91 (66.43%) patients were alive during the median follow-up. Overall disease survival correlated with systemic immune-inflammation (P = .022, cutoff >1,005.3, sensitivity 67.1%, and specificity 70.6%) and SIM (P = .0001, cutoff >4.05, sensitivity 90.4%, and specificity 41.2%), preoperative platelets (P = .036, cutoff <194, sensitivity 28.8%, and specificity 94.1%), and postoperative lymphocytes (P = .012, cutoff <0.6, sensitivity 38%, and specificity 76.5%), whereas increased SIM (P = .042, cutoff >4.05, sensitivity 91.3%, and specificity 38.1%), NLR (P = .031, cutoff >13.2, sensitivity 56.9%, and specificity 60%), and preoperative platelets (P = .006, cutoff <244, sensitivity 52.3%, and specificity 76%) were associated with adverse disease-free survival. The cumulative postoperative complication rate was 34.5%, of which 13.3% accounted for major complications, whereas derived NLR (P = .013, degrees of freedom 1, χ2 test 6.161, cutoff >2.3) and postoperative lymphocytes (P = .009, DF 1, χ2 test 6.756, cutoff <1) correlated with occurrence of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Inflammatory indices as measures of inflammation-related systemic dysfunction may be associated with adverse survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and occurrence of postoperative complications and with specific cutoff values.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRONIC RHINOSINUSITIS PHENOTYPES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING FUNCTIONAL ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY: AN OBSERVATIONAL COHORT RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.

This study analyzed the characteristics of chronic rhinosinusitis patients with and without nasal polyps failing conservative treatment and undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery as part of their treatment for chronic inflammatory sinonasal disease. The aim of this retrospective single-institution cohort study conducted at a university hospital tertiary referral center was to evaluate the characteristics of patients with both disease phenotypes in whom conservative treatment was unsuccessful. Patients who were surgically treated with functional endoscopic sinus surgery performed by two rhinology surgeons during a one-year period (2016) were enrolled in the study. Patient data collection included demographics, risk factor exposure, diagnosis, and type of endoscopic surgical procedure performed. In total, 185 patients were included in the study. Patients with malignant disease and those with incomplete data were excluded from the study. In the group of patients with nasal polyps, mean age, male gender, presence of allergy (34.9%), asthma (21.4%), aspirin sensitivity (6.3%), cystic fibrosis (1.6%), and previous nasal surgery rates (36.5%) were significantly higher as compared with the group of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps. Septal deviation was more prevalent in the chronic rhinosinusitis group (55%) as compared to the group with nasal polyps (25%). The ethmoid (17%) and maxillary sinus (13%) were most frequently involved, but most of the patients who needed surgery had involvement of multiple or all sinuses (40%). The reasons for conservative treatment failure in chronic rhinosinusitis are multifactorial, but identifying the most prevalent characteristics in patients treated surgically may be helpful in identifying patients who would benefit most from surgery.

COMPARISON OF HEARING OUTCOMES AFTER STAPES SURGERY DEPENDING ON PROSTHESIS TYPE: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS.

Stapes surgery is generally performed to treat otosclerosis, and there are numerous surgical techniques and prosthesis materials available. Critical evaluation of postoperative hearing outcomes is crucial for identification and further improvement of treatment options. This study is a non-randomized retrospective analysis of hearing threshold levels before and after stapedectomy or stapedotomy in 365 patients during a twenty-year period. The patients were classified into three groups depending on the prosthesis and surgery type: stapedectomy with Schuknecht prosthesis placement and stapedotomy with either Causse or Richard prosthesis. The postoperative air-bone gap (ABG) was calculated by subtracting the bone conduction pure tone-audiogram (PTA) from the air conduction PTA. Hearing threshold levels were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively from 250 Hz to 12 kHz. The results showed air-bone gap reduction <10 dB in 72% patients, 70% of patients, and 76% of patients using Schucknecht's prosthesis, Richard prosthesis, and Causse prosthesis, respectively. The results did not differ significantly between three prothesis types. Choice of prosthesis should be made individually for each patient, but surgeon competency is still the most important outcome variable, regardless of prosthesis type.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria and angioedema in a patient with autoimmune thyroid disease resolved after thyroidectomy.

The link between chronic urticaria and accompanying thyroid disease is still not understood, with current treatment focusing on antihistamines and levothyroxine. A 35-year-old female patient presented with chronic idiopathic urticaria and facial angioedema for 9 months prior to evaluation. Oral corticosteroid therapy, antihistamines, leukotriene-antagonists, selenium, and omalizumab were all administered, with the disease relapsing within several days, accompanied with facial angioedema of varying severity. Laboratory results were negative for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and cytoplasmic antineutrophil antibodies (ANCA). Immunoglobulins and complement levels were normal. Autologous serum testing, and skin-prick test for common inhalatory allergens were all normal. Levothyroxine was then administered with no effect on the symptoms. After considering all of the available treatment options, the patient decided to undergo total thyroidectomy. Urticaria and angioedema subsided on the third postoperative day, and she remains free of symptom recurrence during 10 months of postoperative follow-up. Her antiTPO titer decreased from > 1300 to 31.1 kIU/L and antiTG decreased from 272 to 4.9 kIU/L three months after the surgery. The most important element in this case report is an unexpected extra-thyroid presentation of an autoimmune thyroid disease, with a newly described association with facial angioedema. Additional important evidence may confirm the hypothesis that both conditions are indeed caused by a common immunological patohogenetic pathway that should be routinely evaluated in patients presenting with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Salivary cortisone as potential predictor of occupational exposure to noise and related stress.

Salivary cortisone strongly correlates with serum cortisol, and since it is less invasive to measure salivary cortisone than serum cortisol and easier than to measure cortisol in saliva, as its concentrations are much lower, we wanted to compare salivary cortisone and cortisol levels as markers of noise-induced stress reaction. The study included 104 participants aged 19-30 years, 50 of whom were exposed to occupational noise ≥85 dB(A) and 54 non-exposed, control students. All participants took samples of their saliva with Salivette® Cortisol synthetic swabs on three consecutive working days first thing in the morning. Salivary cortisone and cortisol levels were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, they completed a 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire, and occupationally noise-exposed participants also completed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) questionnaire on occupational psychosocial risks. The exposed participants had significantly higher cortisone (P<0.001) and cortisol (P<0.001) levels than controls, and the correlation between cortisone and cortisol levels in the exposed participants was strong (ϱ =0.692, P<0.001), which suggests that salivary cortisone can replace cortisol measurements in saliva as a more reliable method than salivary cortisol and less invasive than serum cortisol. However, the level of perceived stress scored on PSS-10 in the exposed participants did not differ significantly from stress reported by controls, but correlated negatively with cortisone levels, which is contrary to our expectations and raises questions as to why.

A systematic review of common landmarks in navigated endoscopic sinus surgery (NESS).

BACKGROUND: Navigation brought about a tremendous improvement in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). When upgraded accordingly, FESS becomes navigated endoscopic sinus surgery (NESS). Indications for intraoperative use of navigation can be broadened to almost any FESS case. NESS in advanced sinus surgery is currently still not used routinely and requires systematic practice guidelines. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to report on commonly identified landmarks while performing advanced NESS according to evidence-based medicine (EBM) principles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This review paper has been assembled following PRISMA guidelines. A PubMed and Scopus (EMBASE) search on anatomical landmarks in functional endoscopic and navigated sinus surgery resulted in 47 results. Of these, only 14 (29.8%) contained original data, constituting the synthesis of best-quality available evidence. RESULTS: Anatomical landmarks are considered to be the most important points of orientation for optimal use of navigation systems during FESS surgery. The most commonly identified significant landmarks are as follows: (1) Maxillary sinus ostium; (2) Orbital wall; (3) Frontal recess; (4) Skull base; (5) Ground lamella; (6) Fovea posterior; (7) Sphenoid sinus ostium. Conclusions: Establishing common landmarks are essential in performing NESS. This is true for advanced and novice surgeons alike and offers a possibility to use navigation systems systematically, taking advantage of all the benefits of endoscopic navigated surgery.