Risk of Malignancy in FDG-Avid Thyroid Incidentalomas on PET/CT: A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Due to a substantial risk of malignancy, patients with focal FDG-avid thyroid incidentalomas (FFTIs) on PET/CT are in most of Denmark referred to Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) fast track programs. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of malignancy in FFTI managed in a HNC fast track program. METHODS: A prospective cohort study including all patients with FFTI referred to the HNC fast track program, Odense University Hospital between September 1, 2016 and August 31, 2017. Ultrasonography (US) and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) were intended to be done in all patients. Nodules with cytology of Bethesda 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6 were planned for surgical removal. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were included. All patients had US and 101 patients (97%) had FNAB. Forty-two patients had benign cytology classified as Bethesda 2. The remaining 62 patients underwent surgery except from 11 patients, mainly due to comorbidity. The overall risk of malignancy for patients with FFTI referred to our HNC fast track program was calculated to be 24% (23/95) based on patients with unequivocal cytology and/or histology. The only statistically significant US characteristic to predict malignancy was the appearance of irregular margins with a sensitivity of 47% and specificity of 96%. CONCLUSION: The risk of malignancy of FFTIs handled in our HNC fast track program is 24%.

Risk factors for treatment failure in surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism: the impact of change in surgical strategy and training procedures.

Surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) has a high cure-rate and few complications. Preoperative localization procedures have permitted a dramatic shift from routine bilateral exploration to focused, minimally invasive procedures. At Odense University Hospital, Denmark, the introduction of focused surgery was combined with training of new surgeons. The objective of this study was to identify possible risk factors for treatment failure with special focus on surgical strategy and training of new surgeons. A 6-year prospective and consecutive series of 567 pHPT patients operated at Odense University hospital, Denmark, was analyzed. A shift in strategy was made in 2006 and at the same time new surgeons started training in parathyroid surgery. Biochemical-, clinical- and follow-up data were analyzed. Overall cure-rate was 90.7 %. Complication rates were 1.1 % for hemorrhage, 1.1 % for wound infection and 0.9 % for recurrent nerve paralysis. The only significant predictor of treatment failure at 6 months was histology of hyperplasia (OR 4.3). Neither the introduction of minimal invasive surgical strategy nor the training of new surgeons had a significant influence on the rate of treatment failures. Hyperplasia is a significant predictor of treatment failure in pHPT surgery. A shift towards systematic preoperative localization with focused surgery as well as training of new surgeons can be done without negative impact on treatment results. Identification of the hyperplasia and multigland patients in need of bilateral cervical exploration is crucial to avoid failures and raise cure rates.

Risk factors for recurrent nerve palsy after thyroid surgery: a national study of patients treated at Danish departments of ENT Head and Neck Surgery.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is a well-known and serious complication to thyroid surgery. The objective was to estimate the frequency of post-thyroidectomy RLN palsy and to identify possible risk factors. Based on the Danish national thyroid surgery database, 6,859 patients treated with thyroid surgery from 1 January 2001 to the 31 December 2008 at the Danish departments of ENT-HNS were analyzed. Unilateral RLN palsy was found in 2.1 % and bilateral in 0.1 %. In benign histology, RLN palsies were registered in 1.3 %. Malignant histology and accordingly neck dissection were the most predominant risk factors with a relative risk (RR) of 5.4 and 5.8, respectively. In benign cases previous performed thyroid surgery had a RR of 10.4. High volume departments with more than 150 thyroid procedures per year seem to perform significantly better. Malignant histology, neck dissection and previous performed thyroid surgery are the strongest predictors for RLN palsy and patient information should be given accordingly. Incomplete resections should be reserved for isthmectomy only. Centralization of thyroid surgery in larger units might improve quality.

Cough-induced laryngeal oedema requiring ventilator.

This case report describes laryngeal oedema occurring in a 35-year-old woman with chronic bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome, and stenosis of the left main bronchus. The oedema was attributed to persistent cough exacerbated by delayed treatment and intubation-related irritation. Evaluations ruled out inflammatory, autoimmune, and malignant causes. Literature lacks on specific descriptions of cough-induced laryngeal oedema, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach and early intervention in complex cases to prevent severe hospitalizations in patients with known serious conditions and symptom exacerbation.

The detection of pathological parathyroid glands is facilitated by identifying vascular features on ultrasound: the potential benefit of a low-frequency vascular probe.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential benefit of adding a low frequency vascular probe to the conventional pre-operative ultrasound examination of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 136 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism underwent a conventional ultrasound examination of the neck with a high frequency ( > 10 MHz) linear ultrasound probe, followed by an add-on examination with a low frequency vascular probe. For each ultrasound probe, and for every potential parathyroid lesion, the presence of a feeding vessel, a polar placement of the feeding vessel, and the presence of a vascular arch was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 146 ultrasound lesions were evaluated for vascularity by each probe. For both ultrasound probes, the odds of a hyperfunctioning parathyroid gland being correctly identified increased with the number of visible vascular features. The vascular probe identified a significantly higher number of vascular features among ultrasound true positive glands compared with the conventional probe (p < 0.0001). Among histopathologically verified pathological parathyroid glands, the vascular probe identified 20% more feeding vessels, 27% more polar placements of the feeding vessel, and 65% more vascular arches than the high frequency probe. However, the diagnostic confidence score for true positive glands did not differ significantly between the probes (p = 0.11). CONCLUSION: The addition of a low frequency vascular probe increases the number of visible vascular features in hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands, which facilitates their preoperative detection. Whether or not this can increase the diagnostic confidence of ultrasound examiners has yet to be substantiated.

Giant fibrovascular polyp.

This is a classic case report of a rare giant fibrovascular polyp (GFP) of the oesophagus in a 50-year-old male patient, who two years prior had regurgitated the polyp and swallowed it again. He only sought medical professionals after losing 25 kg and having severe dysphagia. The GFP, weight 520 g and size 21 × 9 × 7 cm, was removed in toto with a cervical excision following intraluminal marking of the base of the polyp during oesophagoscopy. On histological examination the GFP was found to represent a well-differentiated liposarcoma.

Evaluation of Surgeon-Performed Ultrasonography With or Without Contrast Enhancement vs Scintigraphy in Patients With Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

Importance: Scintigraphy and ultrasonography are common imaging modalities for the preoperative localization of enlarged parathyroid glands in primary hyperparathyroidism. When comparing the 2 modalities, the benefits of ultrasonography in terms of convenience, patient comfort, duration, cost, and lack of radiation should be taken into account. Objective: To investigate whether surgeon-performed ultrasonography, with or without contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), is noninferior to scintigraphy for localizing pathological parathyroid glands in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospective, paired, noninferiority cohort study performed at a high-volume tertiary referral center for parathyroidectomy with blinded examiners and a 6-month follow-up. Participants were adults (age ≥18 years) referred for parathyroidectomy due to primary hyperparathyroidism. Of 207 eligible patients, 35 were excluded, leaving 172 enrolled in the study. Inclusion lasted from September 2019 until February 2021. Follow-up ended in December 2021. Exposures: 99mTechnetium-pertechnetate/99mtechnetium-sestamibi subtraction scintigraphy with 99mtechnetium-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography, followed by surgeon-performed ultrasonography and CEUS. Main Outcomes and Measures: The sensitivity of each imaging modality in localizing pathological parathyroid glands, calculated on a per-quadrant and a per-patient basis, respectively. The a priori noninferiority margin was a lower 95% confidence limit for the difference in sensitivity not falling below -10%. Results: Out of 172 participants, 139 (80.8%) were women, the median (range) age was 65 (24-87) years, and the median (IQR) follow-up was 200.5 (181-280.25) days. Quadrant sensitivity (95% CI) was 70.9% (63.2%-78.5%) for ultrasonography, 68.4% (60.4%-76.5%) for ultrasonography plus CEUS, and 67.0% (60.0%-74.0%) for scintigraphy. The sensitivity difference (95% CI) compared with scintigraphy was 3.9% (-4.1% to 11.8%) for ultrasonography and 1.5% (-6.4% to 9.3%) for ultrasonography plus CEUS, establishing noninferiority for both modalities. Per-patient sensitivity was 81.4% (74.8%-86.9%) for ultrasonography and 79.1% (72.2%-84.9%) for both scintigraphy and ultrasonography plus CEUS. The sensitivity difference compared with scintigraphy was 2.3% (-6.8% to 11.4%) for ultrasonography and 0.0% (-9.1% to 9.1%) for ultrasonography plus CEUS, establishing noninferiority for both modalities. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, conventional ultrasonography by an experienced parathyroid surgeon-sonographer was noninferior to scintigraphy and may constitute a valid first-line imaging modality in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, even without the addition of CEUS. Further imaging should be reserved for cases that are equivocal or nonlocalizing on ultrasonography.

Head-to-Head Comparison of Tc-99m-sestamibi SPECT/CT and C-11-L-Methionin PET/CT in Parathyroid Scanning Before Operation for Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

PURPOSE: The preferred nuclear medicine method for identification of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands in hyperparathyroidism (HPT) develops continuously in relation to the technological progress. Diagnostic methods based on PET/CT have during recent years evolved with new tracer possibilities competing with traditional scintigraphic methods. This investigation is a head-to-head comparison of Tc-99m-sestamibi SPECT/CT gamma camera scintigraphy (sestamibi SPECT/CT) and C-11-L-methionin PET/CT imaging (methionine PET/CT) for preoperative identification of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands. PROCEDURES: The study is a prospective cohort study including 27 patients diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Two nuclear medicine physicians assessed all examinations independently and blinded. All scanning assessments were matched to the final surgical diagnosis as confirmed by histopathology. Biochemical monitoring of the therapeutical effects was performed preoperatively by PTH-measurements and followed postoperatively for up to 12 months. Comparisons were made for differences in sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV). RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (18 females, 9 males; mean age (range): 58.9 years (34.1-79)) were enrolled into the study. The 27 patients had a total of 33 identified sites of lesions of which 28 (85%) turned out to be histopathological verified hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands. The sensitivity and PPV for sestamibi SPECT/CT were 0.71 and 0.95; that of methionine PET/CT was 0.82 and 1, respectively. Both sensitivity and PPV were slightly lower for sestamibi SPECT/CT than for methionine PET PET/CT (-0.11, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): -0.29 to 0.08; -0.05, 95% CI: -0.14 to 0.04, respectively), but not to a statistically significant extent (p=0.38 and p=0.31). The sensitivity and PPV for diagnostic CT were 0.64 (95% CI: 0.44 to 0.81) and 1 (95% CI: 0.81 to 1). CONCLUSIONS: Methionine PET/CT performed comparable to sestamibi SPECT/CT with respect to identification and localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands prior to surgery.

Post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage: a national study of patients treated at the Danish departments of ENT Head and Neck Surgery.

As bleeding in the neck region is a potentially life-threatening complication, we found it imperative to concretize the frequency and to identify possible reasons for this complication. A national database of all thyroid surgery performed inside the specialty of ENT Head and Neck Surgery (THYKIR) was established in January 2001. This nationwide cohort study represents 5,490 patients included until December 2007. Overall hemorrhage frequency was 4.2% with a wide variation among departments. Multiple regression analysis identified age, male gender, malignant histology and extent of surgery as independent risk factors for hemorrhage. Increased hospital stay and infection rates were found in patients treated with drainage. The median time for onset of postoperative hemorrhage was 3 h (range 0-105). Compared with international literature our incidence of post-thyroidectomy hemorrhage is relatively high. Improvement might be reached by the exchange of experience between departments with focus on adequate surgical technique and careful hemostasis.

Protocol for a randomised clinical trial of transoral ultrasound versus standard of care in the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess.

INTRODUCTION: Peritonsillar infection is a common complication to acute tonsillitis in younger adults. If peritonsillar cellulitis progresses to a peritonsillar abscess (PTA), the primary treatment is surgical drainage. But distinguishing cellulitis from PTA on a standard clinical examination is difficult. This trial aims to explore whether point-of-care transoral ultrasound can improve diagnostic accuracy and guide successful needle aspiration in patients referred with PTA. METHODS: A randomised, controlled multicentre trial will be conducted at the departments of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Rigshospitalet and Odense University Hospital. Patients referred with PTA will be randomised to either standard clinical examination (control) or standard clinical examination with supplemental transoral ultrasound (intervention). The diagnostic accuracy, the total number of performed needle aspirations and the proportion of successful needle aspirations will be compared between the two groups. The difference will be evaluated using binary logistic regression and a generalised estimating equation to adjust for clustering of data within each physician and each hospital. A total of 88 patients are necessary to measure the clinical effect of adding transoral ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS: This study will explore the clinical benefits of adding transoral ultrasound to the diagnostic work-up of patients with peritonsillar infections. FUNDING: The Rigshospitalet and Odense University Hospital Foundation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials NCT03824288.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule 1993-2002: a nationwide retrospective study from DAHANCA.

BACKGROUND: A retrospective nationwide study of cancer of the nasal vestibule was conducted to evaluate classification systems and prognostic factors for treatment outcome. METHODS: Patients treated between 1993 and 2002 at head and neck oncology centers in Denmark were included. RESULTS: The 5-year results were locoregional control 67%, overall survival 50%, cancer-specific survival 74%. Cancer-specific survival according to Wang classification was 83%, 63%, and 39% for T1, T2, T3, respectively (p < .000). Regarding T1 tumors, 5-year locoregional control for surgery, surgery + radiotherapy (RT), or RT was 94%, 87%, or 61%, respectively (p < .000). Fifty-four Gray in 18 fractions was found comparable with 66 Gy in 33 fractions regarding T1 tumors. CONCLUSION: This national survey is the largest series of nasal vestibule cancer ever published. Wang classification is more prognostic and easier to use than the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer 2002. Surgery or hypofractionated RT can be used for T1 lesions, whereas larger lesions should be treated with combined approach.

Cancer of the external auditory canal and middle ear in Denmark from 1992 to 2001.

BACKGROUND: In the context of the Danish Head and Neck Cancer Group, nationwide material from 1992-2001 was analyzed to study the extent and nature of the disease, evaluate treatment, compare staging systems, and examine prognosis and survival. METHODS: Review of 68 consecutive cases: 47 squamous cell carcinoma, 10 basal cell carcinoma, and 11 other histologies. Moody (modified Pittsburgh) stages were T1 (26), T2 (9), T3 (8), T4 (23), Tx (2). Sixty-four patients were treated with curative intent: 24 primary radiotherapy, 18 primary surgery, and 22 combined. Surgery was limited to tumor excision and mastoidectomy and in 1 case temporal bone excision. RESULTS: Twenty-seven of 28 recurrences involved primary site. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed 5-year locoregional control of 48%, disease-specific survival 57%, and overall survival 44%. CONCLUSION: This nationwide study confirmed that local failure is the main problem, and future improvements should focus on more aggressive local treatment.