Humoral immunodeficiency in recurrent upper respiratory tract infections. Some basic, clinical and therapeutic features.

Adequate surface protection of the upper airway tract depends on intimate co-operation between natural non specific defence mechanisms such as ciliary function and acquired adaptative immunity. The latter is mediated by specific antibodies mainly belonging to secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and to lesser extent secretory IgM (SigM) as well as by serum derived and locally produced IgG. Immunoglobulin's deficiency may exist in a significant percentage of patients with chronic or recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract. So an immunologic screening should be extended to patients who have persistent sinus infection, despite normal mucocilary and ventilation patterns, inadequate response to antimicrobial therapy, culture of unusual pathogens from the upper respiratory tract or history of infection at other side, mainly bronchopulmonary. The therapeutic aspects include immunoglobulin replacement or mucosal immunogens whose efficacy is related with both an unspecific and a specific way. In the future, cytokines will probably become the strongest therapy of the immunoglobulin's deficiency.

Minimally invasive endoscopic management of malignant sinonasal tumours.

A large retrospective study from two belgian institutions of 78 patients who underwent minimally invasive endoscopic management for malignant sinonasal tumors from, 1992-1999 is presented. We attempt to assess the results of this less invasive approach. The spectrum of disease included adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma and other malignant tumors. All patients were treated primarily for cure. 66 patients were operated on by a purely endoscopic technique, while 9 patients had a simultaneous neurosurgical and endoscopic approach, and 3 a limited orbital approach. 16 patients (20.5%) presented with local recurrence, 6 patients (7.7%) sustained distant metastases and 7 patients (9%) presented simultaneous local recurrence and distant metastases. The 2-years and 5-years survival rates of the whole group were respectively 73.1% and 52.3%, while the adenocarcinoma group exhibits a significantly better prognosis than other histological types with 2-years and 5-years survival rates of 89.8% and 63.8%. Patients who could be treated purely endoscopically had a significantly better survival in comparison to patients treated by an external and endoscopic approach. Morbidity was minimal and the local control rate as well as survival rates were comparable to literature data. Endoscopic resection was adequate, providing clear margins and en bloc removal in most cases. Our results encourage us to use this minimally invasive approach in selected cases as a reliable alternative to the systematic use of an exclusively external approach.

Endoscopic surgery for nasal and sinusal vascular tumours: about two cases of nasopharyngeal angiofibromas and one case of turbinate angioma.

Incomplete resection, technical difficulties and important bleeding are feared in endoscopic sinus surgery (E.S.S.). The authors report three cases of E.S.S. for vascular tumours: two angiofibromas and one angioma. Adjuvant treatments were sometimes used : embolization by angiography (one case), clip on the sphenopalatine artery (one case). However, in one case, E.S.S. alone was sufficient. Average blood loss was 500 cc. Total resection, good clinical evolution and no recurrence at 9 months are good arguments in favour of this technique.