[Surgery of the thyroid. A review of 150 cases]. / Cirugía de la glándula tiroides. Revisión de 150 casos.

We present a review of 150 partial or total thyroidectomies, only 126 of which were considered valid for this study. They were performed during the period from March 1985 to March 1990 to treat benign or malignant thyroid pathologies judged to be susceptible to surgery. Only three permanent complications resulted: a definitive hypothyroidism and two recurrent paralyses, both in cases of papillary carcinomas, one with extracapsular invasion which required the sacrifice of the nerve.

[Somnoplasty: treatment of chronic snoring using radiofrequency irradiation of the palate]. / Somnoplastia: tratamiento del ronquido crónico mediante radiofrecuencia sobre el paladar.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of tissue reduction of the palate by means of radiofrequency for the treatment of snoring. Fifty-three patients were evaluated. Eight of them (15%) met criteria for mild OSAS. All of them underwent RF energy treatment with several ablation sites and the mean total energy administered was about 2500 J per treatment session. 40 patients (75%) underwent an additional RF treatment and the energy administered in the second session was the same as in the first one. We evaluated postoperative pain, snoring and the satisfaction of the patient and his enviroment. After a mean follow-up of 20 months no adverse effect was reported. The success diminishes with time as happens other surgical procedures (UPPP or LAUP) but the absence of serious adverse side-effects and the minimal postoperative pain support the use of RF as an effective procedure for reducing snoring.

[Thromboembolic prophylaxis in patients with head and neck carcinomas: a risk-benefit study]. / Profilaxis tromboembólica en pacientes con carcinomas de cabeza y cuello: un estudio riesgo-beneficio.

Thromboembolism is a risk in major surgical procedures on the head and neck for cancer in predisposed patients. This study was designed to determine if preoperative administration of low-molecular-weight heparin is safe or if it increases the risk of postoperative complications. Preoperative administration of low-molecular-weight heparin was the most important factor in complications such as pharyngo-cutaneous fistula, wound infection, suture dehiscence, or seroma. The second most important factor was surgical technique, and the third factor was neck dissection. Low-molecular-weight heparin did not reduce the risk of thromboembolism. In fact, one patient died suddenly from thromboembolism after surgery.

[Olfaction disturbances in general ORL practice]. / Alteraciones del olfato en la consulta ORL general.

Analysis of smell disturbances in the ENT outpatients department of in a General Hospital. A retrospective and descriptive study. We include all patients with olfactory alterations as the main reason for consultation. The sample was 38 patients. Viral, postraumatic, toxic, drug-induced and inflammatory. We performed anamnesis, nasal endoscopic and scan images on all patients. Olfactory disturbances were more frequent in women older than 55 (2:1). The viral cause was the most frequent aethiology (55.3%). Nasal endoscopic exploration was normal in 68.4% patients. The CT scan was the main imaging study used (68.4%). The younger patients recovered better than the older ones. Smell disorders provoked by virus, toxic and medical drugs do have a better.