Establishment of national diagnostic reference levels in dental cone beam computed tomography in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to establish diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in the field of dental maxillofacial and ear-nose-throat (ENT) practices using cone beam CT (CBCT) in Switzerland. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to owners of CBCTs in Switzerland; to a total of 612 institutions. The answers were analyzed for each indication, provided that enough data were available. The DRLs were defined as the 75th percentile of air kerma product distribution (PKA). RESULTS: 227 answers were collected (38% of all centers). Third quartile of PKA values were obtained for five dental indications: 662 mGy cm² for wisdom tooth, 683 mGy cm² for single tooth implant treatment, 542 mGy cm² for tooth position anomalies, 569 mGy cm² for pathological dentoalveolar modifications, and 639 mGy cm² for endodontics. The standard field of view (FOV) size of 5 cm in diameter x 5 cm in height was proposed. CONCLUSIONS: Large ranges of FOV and PKA were found for a given indication, demonstrating the importance of establishing DRLs as well as FOV recommendations in view of optimizing the present practice. For now, only DRLs for dental and maxillofacial could be defined; because of a lack of ENT data, no DRL values for ENT practices could be derived from this survey.

The body dysmorphic disorder patient: to perform rhinoplasty or not?

By virtue of being a (primarily) aesthetic rather than a functional procedure, rhinoplasty is unique among rhinological operations. As such, it raises moral, philosophical and social issues that no other procedure does. The preoperative assessment of a rhinoplasty patient includes a number of considerations that are unique in this type of surgery; during the outpatient consultation, the patient's motivation for surgery, stability and overall psychological evaluation, with a special emphasis on body dysmorphic disorder, have to be taken into consideration. Body dysmorphic disorder is a relatively common obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder defined by a constant and impairing preoccupation with imagined or slight defects in appearance. Body dysmorphic disorder is associated with poor quality of life, extremely high rates of suicide and--following cosmetic surgery--high rates of dissatisfaction, occasionally manifesting as aggressiveness. A combination of psychological and medical management is the treatment of choice and this review aims to address the frequently controversial rhinoplasty indications for these patients.

Cholesteatoma surgery in children: long-term results of the inside-out technique.

OBJECTIVE: To present the anatomical and functional results of the inside-out technique applied in pediatric cholestetaoma surgery and to evaluate functionality with good hearing results against radicality with lower recurrence rate. METHODS: Retrospective analysis and evaluation of the postoperative outcome in a consecutive series of 126 children or 130 ears operated between 1992 and 2008. With the inside-out technique, cholesteatoma is eradicated from the epitympanum toward the mastoid and, as a single stage procedure, functional reconstruction of the middle ear is achieved by tympanoossiculoplasty. RESULTS: In 89.2% of all cases, the ear was dry postoperatively. 80.9% of the ears reached a postoperative air-bone gap of 30 dB or less and the median air conduction hearing threshold was 29 dB; in 60.9% of all cases, hearing was postoperatively improved. The recurrence rate was 16.2% in a mean postoperative follow-up 8.5 years. Altogether, 48 ears (36.9%) underwent revision surgery. The complication rate was 3.1% and involved only minor complications. CONCLUSION: The inside-out technique allows a safe removal of cholesteatoma from the epitympanum toward the mastoid with a single-stage reconstruction of the ossicular chain. For this reason we support our individual approach, which allows creation of the smallest possible cavity for the size of the cholesteatoma. Our results confirm that the inside-out technique is effective in the treatment of pediatric cholesteatoma.

Therapy options and long-term results of sinonasal malignancies.

OBJECTIVES: Nasal and paranasal sinus malignancies are rare. The most common lesions are located in the nasal cavity and the maxillary sinus, although they also occur in the ethmoid, sphenoid and frontal sinuses. Treatment often combines surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Endoscopic surgical approaches are increasingly used in order to reduce the morbidity associated with standard open resection. The aim of our study was to analyse the long-term treatment results of sinonasal malignancies (SNM), with a special focus on surgical approaches. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 123 patients treated in a tertiary referral centre from 1992 to 2008 was conducted, which included information on tumour stage, histology, treatment and follow-up. RESULTS: A variety of histological types were found with squamous cell carcinoma being the most frequent (n=38), followed by melanoma (n=24) and adenocarcinoma (n=21). Open surgery was performed in 55 patients, and endoscopic resection was performed in 28 patients. Nineteen patients were treated with primary radiation therapy (RTX), four underwent primary chemotherapy (CTX), and 15 had primary chemoradiation (RCTX). Two patients died prior to therapy onset. A comparison of survival rates did not show a significant difference between the treatment groups. Patients that underwent endoscopic resection had significantly fewer postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: In carefully selected patients, endoscopic surgery of SNM showed a similar outcome as open surgery, but with a significantly lower complication rate.

Primary tumors of the submandibular glands: a retrospective study based on 41 cases.

We report our experience on the diagnostic approach, treatment, and follow-up of primary submandibular gland tumors. Retrospective review. Tertiary referral center. Forty-one adult patients, 22 male and 19 female, with primary submandibular gland tumors, 20 benign and 21 malignant. Age, gender, clinical findings, cyto- and histopathology, treatment and outcome were analyzed. Most tumors presented as a painless submandibular mass. Thirty three patients underwent a fine needle aspiration, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of which--in detecting malignant tumors--were 79%, 100% and 88%, respectively. Preoperative radiological imaging was performed in 30 cases. Patients with benign tumors were treated with surgery. Most malignant tumors were treated with a combined modality, including neck dissection and radiation therapy. Five patients developed a postoperative complication. Recurrent disease was encountered in 5 malignant tumors. The 2, 5 and 10 year disease-specific survival of patients with malignancy were 84%, 75% and 41%, respectively. The preoperative assessment of the nature of submandibular gland tumors remains challenging. Aggressive treatment of patients with malignant disease may help to avoid poor prognosis.

Cholesterol granuloma of the petrous apex: benefit of computer-aided surgery.

The following is an analysis of the role of computer aided surgery by infralabyrinthine-subcochlear approach to the petrous apex for cholesterol granulomas with hearing preservation. In a retrospective case review from 1996 to 2008 six patients were analysed in our tertiary referral centre, otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic. Excellent intraoperative localisation of the carotid artery, facial nerve and the entrance into the cholesterol cyst of the bone by means of the navigation system was seen. Additionally, the operation time decreased from an initial 4 h down to 2 h. The application of computer-aided surgery allows intraoperative monitoring of the position of the tip of the microsurgical instruments in case of a rare disease and in the delicate area of the petrous apex giving a high security level.