Machete wounds to the head: report of three cases.

Three cases of machete wounds to the head are described. The resulting injuries from this unusual mode of trauma varied in severity and included transection of a previously placed ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Complications of these injuries resulted from delayed and inadequate treatment.

External (combination) rhinoplasty approach for trans-sphenoidal adenectomy.

The external (combination) rhinoplasty approach and the sublabial approach to trans-sphenoidal adenomectomy have been used at this institution for seven years. A summary of experience with the external (combination) rhinoplasty technique in 10 patients is reported; and a comparison is made between this approach and the sublabial approach in 12 patients. Advantages unique to this approach are: the distance to the sphenoid sinus is decreased allowing greater ease of instrumentation, the Hardy speculum may be opened widely to increase exposure, uniquely this allows synchronous cosmetic or reconstructive septorhinoplasty, and this technique is also invaluable for revision surgery--especially when septal cartilage has been removed by a previous sublabial approach. Disadvantages of this technique are the external incision across the columella, which leaves an imperceptible scar of no clinical significance, and postoperative nasal tip edema, which resolves with time.

Intrasellar schwannoma: case report.

An unusual case of an intrasellar schwannoma radiographically simulating a pituitary tumor is reported. The literature on unusual intracranial locations of schwannomas and their possible origin is discussed.