Airway protection and outcomes after staged versus concurrent bilateral neck dissections with transoral base of tongue cancer resection.

OBJECTIVES: To assess airway, safety, and resource utilization outcomes between transoral base of tongue (BOT) surgery with staged versus concurrent bilateral neck dissections (BND). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-related BOT cancer who underwent transoral surgery and BND from January 2015 through June 2022 was conducted. Free flap patients were excluded. RESULTS: Of 126 patients (46 [37%] staged and 80 [63%] concurrent BND), there were no significant differences in rates of postoperative intubation, tracheostomy, intensive care admission, operative takebacks, gastrostomy, and 30-day readmission. Total operative time (median difference 1.4 [95% CI 0.9-1.8] hours), length of stay (1.0 [1.0-1.0] day), and time between primary surgery and adjuvant therapy initiation (4.0 [0.0-8.0] days) were lower in the concurrent BND cohort. CONCLUSION: Concurrent BND alongside transoral BOT resection is safe with similar airway outcomes and lower total operative time, length of stay, and time to adjuvant therapy initiation compared to staged BND.

Eight Tales of Cervical Necrotizing Fasciitis and Free Tissue Transfer.

OBJECTIVES: Aggressive surgical debridement is required in cervical necrotizing fasciitis, and in severe defects, subsequent free tissue transfer might be necessary. However, there is concern that the inflammatory environment of the infection site may threaten free flap viability, particularly with concerns for thrombosis of feeding vessels and compromised tissue integration. Cases in the head and neck area are rare, so there are limited data regarding outcomes of free tissue transfer in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective chart review assessed patients with cervical necrotizing fasciitis treated at an academic tertiary hospital between 2015 and 2021. Twenty-five patients were identified, and eight required free tissue transfer after adequate surgical debridement. Treatment, hospital course, and demographic data were collected on these eight patients. RESULTS: All flaps had full survival at follow up (median follow up 3 months, range 1-39 months) without concerns for vascular compromise. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that in patients with large soft tissue defects due to cervical necrotizing fasciitis, free tissue transfer may be a safe treatment modality.