Optimal resection margin for head and neck cutaneous melanoma.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective of this study was to examine the difference between a narrow (between 1 and 2 cm) and a wide (>2 cm) margin in the surgical resection of head and neck cutaneous melanoma. STUDY DESIGN: Population-based cohort analysis. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was employed to identify patients who had cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck from 2004 to 2014. Outcome measures were overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). RESULTS: Among the total of 3,583 cases of cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck with known resection margins, 2,641 individuals had narrow resection margins, and 942 patients had wide margins. Most of the tumors presented in the skin of the scalp and neck, followed by the face, external ear, and other areas. The 5-year and 10-year Kaplan-Meier OS probabilities for narrow and wide margins were 65% and 66%, respectively, compared with 49% and 48%, respectively. The DSS probabilities exhibited similar trends between the two groups at these time points. In the Cox regression model, the patients who received narrow margins had similar OS (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.918-1.217) and DSS (95% CI: 0.856-1.352) compared with the wide resection margin group, even when controlled for age, sex, T stage, and histology. CONCLUSIONS: The survival of patients with cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck depends on age, depth of tumor invasion, and histology. Within the head and neck, a wider resection margin of >2 cm does not confer any additional survival benefit compared with a narrower margin. Future studies should examine whether wider surgical margins would confer survival benefit in local or recurrent melanoma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 129:1386-1394, 2019.

Portable, non-powered, suction-generating device for management of life-threatening aerodigestive tract foreign bodies: Novel prototype and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: To present a novel approach for the emergent, pre-hospital management of life-threatening aerodigestive tract foreign body aspiration using a portable, non-powered, suction-generating device (PNSD), in the context of a literature review of emergent pre-hospital management of patients with foreign body airway obstruction. METHODS: The PubMed and MEDLINE databases were comprehensively screened using broad search terms. A literature review of pre-hospital management and resuscitative techniques of foreign body airway obstruction was performed. Further, independent measurements of PNSD pressure generation were obtained. Application of a PNSD in cadaveric and simulation models were reviewed. A comparative analysis between a PNSD and other resuscitative techniques was performed. RESULTS: Physiologic data from adult and pediatric human, non-human, and simulation studies show pressure generation ranging from 5.4 to 179 cm H2O using well-established resuscitative maneuvers. Laboratory testing demonstrated that a protypic PNSD demonstrated peak airway pressures of 434.23 ±â€¯12.35 cm H2O. A simulation study of a PNSD demonstrated 94% reliability in retrieving airway foreign body, while a similar cadaveric study demonstrated 98% reliability, with both studies approaching 100% success rate after multiple attempts. Several case reports have also shown successful application of PNSD in the emergent management of airway foreign body in elderly and disabled patients. CONCLUSION: PNSDs may play an important role in the emergent, non-operative, pre-hospital management of upper aerodigestive tract foreign body aspiration, particularly in settings and populations with high choking risk. Further characterization of effectiveness and safety in larger cadaveric or simulation studies mimicking physiologic conditions is indicated.

An Algorithm for Sellar Reconstruction Following the Endoscopic Endonasal Approach: A Review of 300 Consecutive Cases.

Objectives/Hypotheses The endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) is the workhorse endoscopic procedure for sellar and parasellar pathology. Various reconstruction techniques have been reported following EEA surgery, ranging from no reconstruction to vascularized flaps. We review our institution's experience with sellar reconstruction following EEA and propose an evidence-based algorithm. Design Retrospective review. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Participants Patients who underwent endoscopic EEA surgery for sellar or parasellar pathology between March 1, 2013 and August 31, 2016. Main Outcome Measures Patient demographic and clinicopathologic data were collected. Outcome measures included intraoperative and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak rates and extent of resection (gross or subtotal). Results Three hundred consecutive patients were included. Depending on the presence and grade of intraoperative CSF leak, cases were reconstructed using either a free mucosal graft (FMG) or nasoseptal flap (NSF). Intraoperative and postoperative CSF leak rates were 30.7% and 2.3%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression found that intraoperative CSF leak was associated with recurrent disease (odds ratio [OR] 2.47, p = 0.004), with no apparent predictors of postoperative CSF leak. Conclusions Based on this large series, we propose the following algorithm for sellar reconstruction: FMG for no CSF leak; fat graft + FMG ± rigid fixation for low-grade leaks; and fat graft + NSF ± rigid fixation for high-grade leaks.

Adjuvant radiation therapy improves patient survival in early-stage merkel cell carcinoma: A 15-year single-institution study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin. Growing evidence supports the benefit of postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for locoregional control, but whether it improves overall survival (OS) has been debated. Our objective was to compare the OS of MCC patients who received postoperative RT with those who received surgery alone. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Cases of MCC between 2001 and 2016 at the University of California, Los Angeles Health System were reviewed. We identified 87 unique cases of MCC. Among the patients, 74% were identified as male and 26% as female. The average age at diagnosis was 71.2 years. The median survival was 48.0 months. The OS of all the patients at 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years was 54%, 46%, and 26%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that stage, T stage, N stage, and M stage were significant determinants of OS. The inclusion of RT was not found to be a determinant; however, when restricting the analysis to early-stage MCC (stages I and II), postoperative adjuvant RT was associated with significantly improved OS. A Cox regression model confirmed that inclusion of RT was an independent prognosticator of OS even when controlled for overall stage and negative margin status. The small sample size and retrospective nature of this study limit its statistical power. CONCLUSIONS: MCC is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis for survival especially in elderly patients. In this study, we found that RT during early-stage MCC improves OS. Prospective randomized control trials are necessary to validate the observed benefit for MCC patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 1862-1866, 2018.

Angiosarcoma of the tongue: A case series and literature review.

PURPOSE: Angiosarcoma of the tongue is an exceedingly rare malignancy of the head and neck. Such lesions can be primary in nature or occur in a previously irradiated field. We examine a series of cases with relation to clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all patients with angiosarcoma of the tongue at a tertiary academic institution yielded a single case between 2005 and 2016. The MEDLINE database was additionally searched for all case series or reports of angiosarcoma arising in the tongue, and pertinent clinical data were extracted. RESULTS: The clinical presentation, disease course, and management of a patient with angiosarcoma of the tongue are presented. Institutional and literature search yielded a total of eight patients with angiosarcoma of the tongue. The most common primary sites were dorsal and lateral oral tongue. Treatment consisted of surgical resection in 63% of cases with adjuvant therapy administered in 75% of cases. Follow-up times varied per patient, but 63% had persistent or recurrent disease and 67% died of or with disease within two years of index presentation. CONCLUSION: Angiosarcoma of the tongue is a rare and highly aggressive tumor, accounting for fewer than 1% of all head and neck malignancies. The mainstay of treatment is surgical resection with negative margins followed by adjuvant chemoradiation for high-risk features. Due to rarity of the disease, consensus on optimal treatment approach is lacking, and multi-center prospective studies would be helpful to set clinical guidelines.

Surgical Care in Liberia and Implications for Capacity Building.

BACKGROUND: Situational needs of health care facilities inform the optimal allocation of resources and quality improvement efforts. This study examines surgical care delivery metrics at a tertiary care institution in Liberia. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed operative and ward logbooks from January 1 to December 31, 2012. Data parameters included patients' age, diagnosis, procedure, mortality, and perioperative provider information. RESULTS: In 2012, 1,036 operations were performed. The breakdown of adult surgical cases reveals 452 (45.1%) general surgery operations, 192 (18.5%) orthopedic operations, and 180 (17.4%) ophthalmic operations. Other significant case volume included urologic 53 (5.1%), ENT 36 (3.5%), neurosurgical 31 (3.0%), vascular 24 (2.3%), and plastic 14 (1.4%) operations. Pediatric patients accounted for 24.5% (243) of surgical cases, and 9% of pediatric surgical cases were for hydrocephalus. General, spinal, and total intravenous anesthesia was provided by non-physician personnel, except when surgeons provided their own anesthesia. Ward logs documented 7.4% mortality among all patients admitted to the surgical ward, most of which occurred after exploratory laparotomy (44%), in burn (14%) patients, and in patients with head/neck emergencies (12%). CONCLUSIONS: This operative log review can be used to identify surgical practice patterns, needs, and deficits in order to inform the growth of surgical capacity at Liberia's only tertiary medical institution. Using this data to identify critical areas of high-yield operations (e.g., for pediatric hydrocephalus), or excessively high mortality rates (e.g., in burn care), can focus the direction of limited resources toward areas of need. While the heavy reliance on non-consultant surgeons reflects human capacity shortages and a pressing need for postgraduate training programs, identifying the breadth of surgical expertise demonstrated in these operative logs reveals the proficiencies required of surgeons to provide comprehensive surgical care in this setting.

Surgical outcomes for perforated peptic ulcer: a prospective case series at an academic hospital in Monrovia, Liberia

Introduction The incidence of perforated peptic ulcer remains high in low and middle-income countries. Mortality can be significant; and early surgical management with careful evaluation of pre-operative risk factors is essential. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes of surgical treatment for perforated peptic ulcer disease in Liberia and to explore risk factors for adverse outcomes.Methods This study prospectively examined 20 consecutive patients undergoing primary closure with omental patch for perforated pre-pyloric or duodenal peptic ulcer at the John F. Kennedy Medical Centre (JFKMC) in Monrovia; Liberia from May 2009 to March 2010. Pre-operative information was captured in a questionnaire. Risk factors were assessed for univariate and multivariate associations with in-hospital mortality.Results Median age was 33 years and 85 were males. A majority of the patients (70) had a history of gastritis and antacid use. Median time from beginning of symptoms to surgery was 4.5 days. Over-all in-hospital mortality following surgical therapy for perforated peptic ulcer disease was 35. Median length of stay among survivors was 16 days; and death occurred at median 1 day after admission. Long symptom duration and age 30 years of age were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality on univariate (? = 2.60 [0.18-5.03]; p = 0.035) and multivariate testing (? = 2.95 [0.02-5.88]; p =0.049). Conclusion Peptic ulcer disease and its treatment represent a potentially substantial source of morbidity and mortality in limited-resource settings. In this case series; surgical treatment for perforated peptic ulcer disease carried a high mortality; and the results highlight the potential for public health systems strengthening to prevent poor health outcomes. Peptic ulcer disease in low- and middle-income countries presents unique epidemiology and treatment challenges that may differ significantly from evidence-based guidelines in high-income countries

Primary culture of human Schwann and schwannoma cells: improved and simplified protocol.

Primary culture of human Schwann cells (SCs) and vestibular schwannoma (VS) cells are invaluable tools to investigate SC physiology and VS pathobiology, and to devise effective pharmacotherapies against VS, which are sorely needed. However, existing culture protocols, in aiming to create robust, pure cultures, employ methods that can lead to loss of biological characteristics of the original cells, potentially resulting in misleading biological findings. We have developed a minimally manipulative method to culture primary human SC and VS cells, without the use of selective mitogens, toxins, or time-consuming and potentially transformative laboratory techniques. Schwann cell purity was quantified longitudinally using S100 staining in SC cultures derived from the great auricular nerve and VS cultures followed for 7 and 12 weeks, respectively. SC cultures retained approximately ≥85% purity for 2 weeks. VS cultures retained approximately ≥80% purity for the majority of the span of 12 weeks, with maximal purity of 87% at 2 weeks. The VS cultures showed high level of biological similarity (68% on average) to their respective parent tumors, as assessed using a protein array featuring 41 growth factors and receptors. Apoptosis rate in vitro negatively correlated with tumor volume. Our results, obtained using a faster, simplified culturing method than previously utilized, indicate that highly pure, primary human SC and VS cultures can be established with minimal manipulation, reaching maximal purity at 2 weeks of culture. The VS cultures recapitulate the parent tumors' biology to a great degree, making them relevant models to investigate VS pathobiology.

An opportunity for diagonal development in global surgery: cleft lip and palate care in resource-limited settings.

Global cleft surgery missions have provided much-needed care to millions of poor patients worldwide. Still, surgical capacity in low- and middle-income countries is generally inadequate. Through surgical missions, global cleft care has largely ascribed to a vertical model of healthcare delivery, which is disease specific, and tends to deliver services parallel to, but not necessarily within, the local healthcare system. The vertical model has been used to address infectious diseases as well as humanitarian emergencies. By contrast, a horizontal model for healthcare delivery tends to focus on long-term investments in public health infrastructure and human capital and has less often been implemented by humanitarian groups for a variety of reasons. As surgical care is an integral component of basic healthcare, the plastic surgery community must challenge itself to address the burden of specific disease entities, such as cleft lip and palate, in a way that sustainably expands and enriches global surgical care as a whole. In this paper, we describe a diagonal care delivery model, whereby cleft missions can enrich surgical capacity through integration into sustainable, local care delivery systems. Furthermore, we examine the applications of diagonal development to cleft care specifically and global surgical care more broadly.