Hematogenous Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis in the Postoperative Temporal Bone.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) involving the temporal bone is a rare entity. It is usually asymptomatic and misdiagnosis as acute otitis media, mastoiditis, and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome in early onset is not uncommon. We report a case of RCC metastasis to the postoperative temporal bone in the middle of molecular targeted therapy. A 60-year-old man presented left facial palsy with severe retro-auricular pain and he also underwent left middle ear surgery for cholesteatoma more than 30 years before and had been aware of discontinuous otorrhea; therefore, initially we speculated that facial palsy was derived from recurrent cholesteatoma or Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. Exploratory tympanotomy revealed RCC metastasis and postoperative MR indicated hematogenous metastasis. To the best of our knowledge, no report was obtained on temporal bone metastasis in the middle of chemotherapy or hematogenous metastasis in the postoperative middle ear. Metastasis in the temporal bone is still a possible pathological condition despite the development of present cancer therapy. Besides, this case indicates that hematogenous metastasis can occur in the postoperative state of the temporal bone.

Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma Presenting as a Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis of Unknown Primary Site: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC) is a pathological entity arising in the salivary glands first described by Skalova et al. [Am J Surg Pathol 2010;34: 599-608]. Here, we report the first case of MASC presenting as a cervical lymph node metastasis of unknown primary site together with a brief review of the literature. CASE REPORT: We present a 74-year-old male with a painless lump in his left neck. Based on the fine-needle aspiration cytological findings, a possible malignant tumor was suspected. No evidence of a primary lesion was observed using imaging modalities including positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The patient underwent an ipsilateral modified radical neck dissection. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the neoplastic cells were positive for S100 protein and GATA3. A rearrangement of the ETV6 gene was noted during fluorescence in situ hybridization, and the final histopathological diagnosis was MASC. CONCLUSION: We encountered a MASC presenting as a cervical lymph node metastasis of unknown primary site. No adjuvant therapy was administered, and no local recurrence or metastatic disease has been detected during a follow-up period of 9 months. This is the first case report of MASC presenting as a cervical lymph node metastasis of unknown primary site and suggests the new properties of MASC.

Endoscopic Ear Surgery for External Auditory Canal Cholesteatoma.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) has been a question of debate. To our knowledge and according to a systematic review of endoscopic ear surgery (EES) in 2015, this study describes for the first time the technique and outcome by solely transcanal EES for EACC. STUDY METHOD: Retrospective case series, level of evidence IV. METHODS: Between October 2014 and December 2016, nine patients with unilateral EACC have been treated by EES. Using a bimanual technique, canaloplasty has been performed using tragal perichondrium, cartilage, or artificial bone. Symptoms, signs, and reconstruction technique have been assessed and the primary endpoint: healing time was compared with benchmark values in the literature. RESULTS: During the 26 months study period all of our nine Naim stage III EACCs were successfully treated by EES with median healing time of 23.8 days. EACC limited to the external auditory canal (Naim stage III) represented an ideal target for EES minimizing tissue damage and thus median healing time compared with retroauricular (42-56 d) or endaural (59 d) surgical techniques. DISCUSSION: Shorter healing time helped to reduce skepticism toward a surgical treatment of EACC from the patient's perspective. Moreover, EES relied on reduced bulky equipment, dressing time, and complex maintenance compared with microscopic techniques. CONCLUSION: Transcanal endoscopic surgery is a valid treatment option for EACC up to Naim stage III. Moreover, the described procedure fosters in our eyes the teaching of our residence to get familiar with the basic steps of EES.

Reexamination of Etiology and Surgical Outcome in Patient With Advanced External Auditory Canal Cholesteatoma.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the etiology of advanced cases of external auditory canal (EAC) cholesteatoma (EACC), and to report the surgical management and outcomes based on canalplasty depending on the extent of adjacent structures involvement around the EAC. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Participants comprised 28 patients (12 males, 16 females) ranging in age from 9 to 86 years old. All patients presented with advanced-stage EACC (Naim's classification: stage III/IV). INTERVENTION: Surgery ranged from simple bony meatoplasty with cartilage graft repair to more enlarged EAC canalplasty combined with tympanoplasty. RESULT: EACC was categorized as idiopathic in 22 patients and secondary EACC in six patients. Six patients with idiopathic EACC were receiving hemodialysis, one of whom showed bilateral pathology. Particularly in cases with epithelial invasion into the hypotympanum immediately adjacent to the jugular bulb, multi-layered repair including bone paste, post-auricular pedicled musculo-periosteal flap, auto cartilage, and temporalis muscle fascia were required. Five patients required revision surgery (17%), including one case of recurrent (reconstructed) cholesteatoma and three cases of perforation of the tympanic membrane. CONCLUSION: In the majority of our series, underlying diseases followed with microangiopathy and angiogenesis could be possible candidates in the etiology of EACC. Enlarged bony meatoplasty and multilayered reconstruction surgery brought about self-cleaning and dried the EAC in advanced-stage EACC.

Parotidectomy combined with identification and preservation procedures of the great auricular nerve.

CONCLUSIONS: We found that the great auricular nerve (GAN) passes at the median (m) point between the tips of the mandibular angle and mastoid process. We also established the GAN definitive line using this point for rapid identification of the trunk of the GAN and systematic parotidectomy combined with procedures for identification of the GAN, elevation of the skin flap, and exposure of the parotid capsule, which showed a high rate of preservation of the nerve and the lobular branch. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to improve parotidectomy and the rate of preservation of the GAN. METHODS: This study comprised 74 consecutive patients who were scheduled to have parotidectomy for benign tumors at our department between November 2011 and April 2014. We examined whether our GAN definitive line including the m point was useful to identify the trunk of the GAN and whether anterograde dissection of the nerve could be performed simultaneously with skin flap elevation and exposure of the parotid capsule and contributed to preservation of the trunk to the lobular branch. RESULTS: The trunk was identified under the GAN definitive line drawn preoperatively in 97.3% of cases (72/74). Combined surgery was successfully performed with a 95.9% (71/74) preservation rate of the GAN including the lobular branch.

Oncologic outcome in surgical management of jugular paraganglioma and factors influencing outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that may influence the management outcome in patients with jugular paragangliomas. METHODS: The surgical records of 121 cases of jugular paraganglioma (Fisch classifications C and D) were reviewed. RESULTS: The average follow-up was 88 months. Intracranial extension (ICE; Fisch classification De and Di) constitutes 55.4% of the cases. Two cases had a malignant jugular paraganglioma. Complete tumor resection was achieved in 81.8% of the cases, and there was evidence of recurrence in 4.0% from this group. Surgical tumor control was achieved in 96% of cases. Perioperative complications consisted mainly of cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 1.6% of the cases. The lower cranial nerve (CN) was preserved in 63% of the patients mainly in the cases without ICE. CONCLUSION: The infratemporal fossa approach type A allows for complete tumor resection with low perioperative morbidity and recurrence rates. The significant influential factors were the severity of ICE and internal carotid artery involvement.

Surgical management of tympanojugular paragangliomas with intradural extension, with a proposed revision of the Fisch classification.

BACKGROUND: Tympanojugular paragangliomas (TJPs) with intradural extension can be successfully treated by a single or staged procedure with low surgical morbidity. OBJECTIVES: To present the clinical findings and treatment methods used for surgically treating TJP with intradural extension, as well as to discuss the complications of treatment and the relative merits of single versus staged surgery by using a comprehensive literature review comparing objective outcome measures. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective case review of 45 cases of TJP with intradural extension. SETTING: A quaternary skull base and neurotologic center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The charts of 45 patients with Fisch classification class C or D TJP with intradural extension, who were operated on from April 1988 to April 2010, were analyzed. Clinical findings and preoperative lower cranial nerve (LCN) palsy as well as postoperative totality of resection, postoperative LCN palsy and complications were studied. The types, indications, and distribution of staged procedures were also analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 45 cases, 22 were C3di2. The IX and X cranial nerves were the commonest nerves affected preoperatively. Preoperative internal carotid artery management was performed in 16 cases. Twenty-nine cases had a single procedure and 16 had a staged procedure. The main indication for staged procedures was intradural extension of 2 cm or more. The infratemporal fossa approach (ITFA) type A was the main procedure in all cases. Overall, total resection was achieved in 68.8% of cases with postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak in 4.4% cases. Postoperative House-Beckmann grade I-III facial nerve status was maintained in 80% of cases, and overall LCN preservation rate was 56.9%. There were no cases requiring tracheostomy, and 3 cases required delayed phonosurgical procedures to improve their voice. CONCLUSIONS: TJP with intradural extension can be successfully managed with the judicious use of staged procedures to reduce the incidence of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak. The ITFA did not cause an excessively high rate of facial nerve palsy, and the overall total resection and LCN preservation rate compares very favorably with previously published data.

Effects of early commercial air travel on graft healing rates after tympanoplasty.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether commercial air travel soon after tympanoplasty significantly affects graft healing rates. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 169 patients who underwent tympanoplasty from 1993 to 2009, comparing two groups of patients: 69 patients who flew 1 day after surgery and 100 who did not. The confounding factors analyzed were side of surgery, size of perforation, surgical approach, graft material, and grafting technique. The primary outcome measure analyzed was successful closure of the perforation at the first follow-up visit, at 4 weeks, evidenced by direct otoendoscopic examination. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the confounding variables between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome measure of graft healing rates between the two groups (p = 0.494). Additionally, the overall graft healing rates compared favorably with previously published data from other authors. CONCLUSIONS: Early commercial air travel after tympanoplasty does not significantly affect graft healing rates and should be considered a relatively safe option.

Ear-pick injury as a traumatic ossicular damage in Japan.

This retrospective study examined the etiology and treatment results for traumatic, conductive hearing loss in 22 patients who underwent surgery between 1998 and 2008 at Osaka Red Cross Hospital. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone preoperatively. The ear surgery comprised closure of the ruptured tympanic membranes and restoration of the sound-transmitting function of the ossicular chain. Their mean age was 30.3 years, and the average delay from injury until treatment was 6.0 years. Of the injuries due to foreign-body insertion, the most common cause was ear-pick injury. Incudostapedial disarticulation was the most common finding, which was diagnosed preoperatively using CT in seven cases and identified at surgery in 15 cases. Closure of the air-bone gap to within 10 and 20 dB was observed in 50.0 and 68.2% of the patients, respectively. The hearing threshold improved by 10 dB or more in 16 (72.7%) patients. If no improvement in hearing loss follows the absorption of hemotympanium or closure of an eardrum perforation, dislocation of the ossicular bones should be suspected. Ossicular reconstruction following trauma produces more stable and better hearing results, even after delayed treatment.

Basic fibroblast growth factor combined with atelocollagen for closing chronic tympanic membrane perforations in 87 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To present the clinical results of closing chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforations using basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) combined with an atelocollagen/silicone bilayer membrane patch. STUDY DESIGN: Closure of TM perforations in 87 patients was attempted using bFGF, which is thought to promote the regeneration of TM tissues by facilitating the growth of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. METHODS: Under an operating microscope, the margin of the perforation was trimmed, and a piece of an atelocollagen/silicone bilayer membrane was placed in the perforation with the silicon layer facing outward and then infiltrated with 0.1 ml of trafermin. Data obtained from patient records included patient age, perforation size, and duration of treatment, with a focus on hearing improvement and complete TM closure. RESULTS: The mean perforation size before treatment was 14.4%. Complete closure of the TM perforation was achieved in 80 patients (92.0%), whereas pinholes remained in 5 patients (8.7%), and small perforations were observed in 2 patients (2.3%). In the patients with complete closure, the TM perforations closed after an average 1.8 treatments, and hearing improved by 13.6 dB. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that bFGF combined with atelocollagen is effective for the conservative treatment of TM perforation.

Parotid mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma regression after Helicobacter pylori eradication.

A 60-year-old woman with Sjögren's syndrome showed recurrence of parotid mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma with a simultaneous increase of serum sIL-2R antigen levels 10 years after surgical treatment. Helicobacter pylori infection had been detected in the stomach since the beginning of the lymphoma. Although H. pylori was not detected in the recurrent parotid lymphoma, antibiotic therapy contributed not only to successful eradication of gastric H. pylori but also to disappearance of the recurrent lymphoma. Further studies on the mechanisms of occurrence of extragastric MALT lymphomas are needed to establish the treatment of extragastric MALT lymphomas.

Gene transfer into guinea pig cochlea using adeno-associated virus vectors.

BACKGROUND: Several genes are candidates for treating inner ear diseases. For clinical applications, minimally invasive approaches to the inner ear are desirable along with minimal side-effects. METHODS: Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was used as a vector into the guinea pig inner ear. Six AAV-cytomegalovirus hybrids (AAV-2/1, -2/2, -2/5, -2/7, -2/8 and -2/9) were infused into perilymph of the cochlea basal turn, an approach that could be used in cochlear implant surgery. At 7 days after injection, distribution of gene expression, hearing and morphology were evaluated. Adenoviral vector was also used to compare distributions of gene expression. Moreover, distribution of cell surface receptors of AAV in the cochlea was examined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Using the perilymphatic approach, adenovirus could be transferred to mesothelial cells lining the perilymph, but not sensory cells. Conversely, all AAV serotypes displayed tissue tropism to inner hair cells, with AAV-2/2 showing particularly efficient transfer to sensory cells. This tissue tropism of AAV could not be explained by the distribution of AAV receptors. Hearing and morphology were largely unaffected. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that AAV vector can be safely applied to the inner ear and AAV-2/2 offers a good tool for transferring transgenes into sensory cells of the inner ear efficiently without toxicity.