Carotid Body Tumors: A Case Series and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Paragangliomas of the head and neck are rare vascular tumors derived from the paraganglia tissues originating from the neural crest. They are usually benign and hypervascularized. Diagnosis is relatively easy in condition to consider it in evaluating every lateral neck mass. METHODS: We made a retrospective study of the records of 10 patients who presented with carotid body tumors at the Department of Vascular surgery of the Military Hospital Avicenne in Marrakech during the period between 2008 and 2013. Epidemiologic, etiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic features were analyzed. RESULTS: The average age of our patients was 35.4 years (26-55 years), with a male predominance (sex ratio = 2.33). We noted 7 cases of isolated carotid locations and 3 cases of multiple locations. A slow-growing neck mass was the main clinical presentation. Other signs were pain, dysphonia, dizziness, headache, and tinnitus. Physical examination showed, in most cases, a neck nontender mass with side to side mobility. Imaging techniques included Doppler ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging, and catheter arteriography. Urinary analysis for metanephrine was carried out in 1 case. The clinical presentation and imaging results strongly suggested the diagnosis of carotid paraganglioma in all cases. Treatment was surgical excision in all cases associated with a preoperative embolization in 1 case and a postoperative radiotherapy in 2 cases. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis, and a lymph node metastasis was suspected of malignity in 1 case. The evolution was favorable in all our patients. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid body tumor requires early diagnosis and an adequate multidisciplinary team. The diagnosis must be considered in the case of any pulsatile cervical mass. Surgery is the treatment of choice despite its risks especially in large tumors. The therapeutic indication should, ideally, be set in a multidisciplinary consultation.

Tonsillar Tuberculosis Simulating Cancer: A Case Report.

Tuberculosis is still considered a cause of death, especially in developing countries. Primary tonsillar tuberculosis in the absence of pulmonary tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient is a rare entity. Its diagnosis is difficult because it simulates tonsillar cancer, and histopathological examination is often needed for confirmation. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman with no history of tuberculosis and a normal lung CT. The lack of response to the initial treatment suggested either tumor pathology or germ-specific tonsillitis. The diagnosis of tonsillar tuberculosis was established based on the histological aspects provided by the tonsil biopsy and the QuantiFERON-TB test.

The impact of the ultrasound classification on the rate of thyroid surgery indications: a 577 cases series.

OBJECTIVES: Nodules of the thyroid gland are common but rarely malignant. Their management can range from simple monitoring to surgery. The use of ultrasound and fine needle aspiration can reduce the rate of unnecessary surgeries. However, there is a risk of false positives and false negatives of malignancy that only pathology can avoid. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of ultrasound classification on the rate of surgical indications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2013 and 2017, the ultrasound classification was gradually adopted in our daily practice to become now routine. During this period, we conducted a retrospective study of all the patients who presented to our department for one or more thyroid nodules. RESULTS: A total of 577 patients were included in the study. We compared two groups, a first where the ultrasound classification was used and a second where this classification was not used. In the end, we found that this classification significantly reduced the surgical indication by 19% while increasing the malignancy detection rate in operated patients by 21%. CONCLUSIONS: The use of ultrasound classification reduces the indications for surgery while increasing the rate of malignancy in operated patients. The generalization of the use of the ultrasound classification score is strongly recommended in daily practice.

Endotype of Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps in Morocco.

BACKGROUND: With the advent of biotherapies, endotyping of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is becoming more and more important to optimize therapeutic management. While the majority of CRSwNPs in the United States, Europe, and Japan exhibit type 2 eosinophil-dominant inflammation response, other parts of Asia display mixed patterns including neutrophil-dominant inflammation. Until now, no study has focused on the proportion of inflammation patterns in Morocco or anywhere on the African continent. We aim to fill this gap by studying tissue inflammatory response in our operated patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: After searching the database of the pathology department, we retrieved from the archives the stained pathology slides of all our patients who underwent surgery for CRSwNP over 5 years from 2017 to 2021. We counted then the number of eosinophils in the lamina propria at high-power magnification to determine the predominant inflammatory pattern. RESULTS: A total of 35 reports were collected. We found that eosinophilic inflammation was predominant, accounting for 97% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The CRSwNP endotype in our region would mainly be type 2. However, our results must be confirmed by multicenter studies involving a large number of patients.

[Management of a giant cervical lipoma: case report and literature review]. / Prise en charge d'un lipome cervical géant: à propos d'un cas et revue de la littérature.

Lipoma is the most common of soft tissue tumours. It rarely occurs in the head and neck. Patients with fast-growing large sized lesion (> 10cm) should be suspected to have a cancer. We here report the case of a patient presenting with unusual cervical lipoma (size: approximately 46cm), diagnosed based on imaging tests, including computed tomography (CT) scan. Patient´s management was based on surgery.

Transient lower cranial nerve palsies following spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine-fentanyl combination for transurethral resection of the prostate.

Spinal anesthesia is a widely used regional anesthesia for many infra-umbilical surgical procedures with proven efficacy and safety. However, although rare, some neurologic complications can occur with potentially life threatening consequences. Among them, lower cranial nerve palsies have been rarely reported in the literature. We report such a case in a 75-year-old man with transient dysphagia, dysphonia and spinal accessory nerve palsy occurring four days after spinal anesthesia for transurethral resection of the prostate. His symptoms completely resolved spontaneously within 2 weeks. The possibility of lower cranial nerve palsies should be added to the potential complications during or following spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine-fentanyl combination. Although transitional, this complication may occur few days after the procedure and need to be promptly recognized, carefully evaluated and treated by conservative measures.

Acute miliary tuberculosis of the pharynx (Isambert disease): case report.

Miliary pharyngeal tuberculosis or Isambert disease is a rare form of tuberculosis. It can be isolated or more often associated with lung damage. We report the case of a 25-year-old patient referred for deep asthenia with fever, sweating and weight loss, all associated with dysphagia and hearing loss. The pharyngeal examination found an oropharyngeal miliary and an involvement of the cavum. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed excavated lesions suggestive of tuberculosis. The clinical situation clearly improved with anti-tuberculous treatment. Isambert disease is a rare pharyngeal disorder occurring especially at extreme ages or in immunocompromised patients. The contamination is either direct or hematogenous. The pharyngeal examination finds grayish tubers on an often congestive mucosa. The diagnosis is bacteriological and/or histological. Treatment is mainly medical, more rarely surgical. The general assessment aims to find other locations. The miliary pharyngeal tuberculosis is rare and must make seek other locations. The diagnosis is easy and treatment mainly medical. The consequences can be significant.

A Rare Case of Malignant Tumor of the Larynx with Good Prognosis: Laryngeal Chondrosarcoma.

Laryngeal chondrosarcoma is a rare laryngeal tumor that most frequently originates from the cricoid cartilage. The majority of lesions are low grade and the distinction from benign chondromas must be made. We present a case of a laryngeal chondrosarcoma arising from the cricoid cartilage in a 75-year-old Arab man who presented with hoarseness, dysphonia, and dyspnea. Endoscopic and radiological examinations showed a mass of the wall of his larynx with displaced structures, airway obstruction, and destruction of the cartilage. The patient underwent total laryngectomy. Histological examination supported the diagnosis of low-grade chondrosarcoma. Five months later, the radiological and clinical findings showed no evidence of recurrence or metastases. Laryngeal chondrosarcomas remain a rare disease of unknown etiology, with slow and insidious symptoms. The treatment is surgical, given the importance of preserving the larynx to patients' quality of life. The prognosis is favorable and metastases rarely occur.

Nasopharyngeal tuberculosis: report of four cases and review of the literature.

Even if tuberculosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, nasopharyngeal location is unusual and extremely rare. We report four new cases observed with short time interval suggesting a trend towards increased frequency. The diagnosis was confirmed by histological analysis after a biopsy. The evolution was favorable after anti tuberculosis chemotherapy. In the light of those observations and a review of the literature, we will discuss different characteristics of this disease and we will highlight the need of a systematic biopsy in order to confirm diagnosis and exclude undifferentiated carcinoma especially in endemic regions for both diseases.

Prognostic factors of myringoplasty: study of a 140 cases series and review of the literature.

Myringoplasty is one of the most frequent interventions in otology. It aims to restore the eardrum in order to protect against extrinsic contamination by water and to improve hearing. Our study aimed to analyze the factors that may affect anatomical and functional results of myringoplasty or type I tympanoplasty. A retrospective study was performed of a series of 140 cases of myringoplasty over a 6-years period from 2010 to 2015. The approach was post-auricular in 69% of cases and all the patients underwent an underlay technique. Temporal fascia was used in 90.71% of the cases. After an average follow-up of 13 months, the anatomical and functional results were acceptable, with a tympanic closure rate of 88% and an average audiometric gain of 14.22 dB. Several factors affected our results, including the location of the perforation, the active or inactive status of the chronic otitis media, the condition of the opposite ear and the graft material. In light of our results and those of the literature, we believe that the middle ear should be dry at least two months prior to surgery, use of cartilaginous graft material and underlay technique should be preferred and special precautions should be taken in case of anterior or contralateral perforation.

[Surgical management of hyperthyroidism: about 60 cases]. / Chirurgie des hyperthyroïdies: à propos de 60 cas.

Hyperthyroidism includes several diseases characterized by high level of circulating thyroid hormones. Thyroidectomy is one of the main treatment options. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, evolutionary features of patients who had undergone surgery for hyperthyroidism in the ENT Department at the Avicenne Military Hospital in Marrakech. Data were collected from medical records of 60 patients. There was a female predominance and the average age was 52 years. Clinical manifestations were dominated by thyrotoxicosis in all patients. Clinical examination allowed the identification of 47 cases of toxic or pretoxic multiheteronodular goitre (78.33% of cases), 5 cases of Graves disease (8.33% of cases) and 8 cases of toxic adenoma (13.33% of cases). All patients underwent medical preparation. Total thyroidectomy was performed in 50 patients (83.33%) and loboisthmectomy in 10 patients (16.33%). Postoperative complications were: transient laryngeal paralysis in one case (1.6%), transient hypoparathyroidism in nine cases (15%), definitive hypoparathyroidism in one case (1.6%) and compressive hematoma in one case (1.6% of cases). Surgical treatment of bleeding and adherent toxic goiters should be performed by an experienced surgeon who must remain vigilant to minimize morbidity mainly caused by laryngeal paralysis and hypoparathyroidism.

[Spindle-cell hemangioendothelioma of the pharynx managed by radiotherapy]. / Hémangioendothéliome à cellules fusiformes du pharynx traité par irradiation.

Spindle cells hemangioendotheloma generally reaches the extremities. Only one oropharyngeal localisation was described in the literature. We report the observation of a 41 years old patient who was operated twice for this localization. The patient presented in 2005 with a third recurrence with important local extension contraindicating surgical treatment. An external radiotherapy was carried out with a good local control of the lesion. In the light of this observation we will discuss physiopathology of this rare lesion and the various therapeutic options.

[Predictors of malignancy in the management of parotid tumors: about 76 cases]. / Les facteurs prédictifs de malignité dans la prise en charge des tumeurs parotidiennes: à propos de 76 cas.

Salivary gland tumor pathology is complex and poses a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. A good analysis of predictive factors for malignancy in parotid tumors seems currently necessary for better therapeutic planning. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors for malignancy in parotid tumors through a retrospective study of 76 cases of parotid tumor treated in a service of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico Facial Surgery of Avicenne military hospital of Marrakech between January 2000 and December 2012. The study involved 40 women and 36 men. The average age was 44 years for benign tumours whereas it was 50 years for malignant tumours. The median of consultation time was 24 months for benign tumors and 16 month for malignant tumours. Swelling in the area of the parotid was always a patient detecting sign. Malignancy is clinically suspected based on pain, facial paralysis, surface structure and deeper structure fixity and on the presence of adenopathy. MRI has become the methodology of choice for evaluating parotid tumors due to its good diagnostic value in the assessment of benignity and malignancy. Fine needle aspiration biopsy has no value unless it is positive. Explorative parotidectomy with extemporaneous anatomopathological examination remains the key to positive diagnosis. Parotid benign tumors represent the most frequent entity (80%) and pleomorphic adenoma remains the predominant histologic type (61%). With regard to malignant tumors, they are rare, mainly dominated by mucoepidermoid carcinomas (6,5%). Surgical treatment is the first choice and it is often associated with lymph node dissection and radiation therapy for malignant tumors. Facial paralysis is the most common complication of parotid surgery.

[Analysis of predictors of malignancy of nodular goiters: about 500 cases]. / Analyse des facteurs prédictifs de malignité des goitres nodulaires : à propos de 500 cas.

Thyroid nodules are very common and less than 10% of them are malignant. They pose a serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem with respect to their benign or malignant nature. The study of some clinical and paraclinical factors for presumed malignancy makes it possible to codify appropriate therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of malignancy in nodular goiters and to compare our results with those reported in the literature. This retrospective study consisted of 500 cases of nodular goiter operated in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat or ENT) and Head and Neck Surgery at Avicenne military hospital in Marrakech between 2006 and 2012. The percentage of cancers was 6,8%. The average age of our patients was 46 years, with a sex-ratio of 5 (F/H). The hard nature of the nodule was present in 94,4% of the cases of cancer by palpation; irregular boundaries were present in 64.70% of the cases of cancer. Three nodules were fixed and malignant. Cervical lymphadenopathy were observed in 8 patients, 7 of which had cancer. Ultrasound examination showed hypoechoic appearance in 61,8% of the malignant nodules, with smooth-edges in 88,24% of the cases. Intranodular vascularization was found in 35,3% of the cases of cancers, with microcalcifications in 55,9% of the cases. Perinodular hypoechoic halo was incomplete in 73,5% of the cases of cancer. Our patients were euthyroid in 84,6% of the cases. Predictors of malignancy in nodular goiters were present in our first clinical study: patients over the age of 60 years, hard consistency of nodule, fixity, irregular and poorly defined character by palpation, as well as presence of cervical adenopathy on examination; and echographic features: hypoechoic character, smooth-edges, presence of microcalcifications and visualization of intranodular vascularization with or without peri-nodular vascularization. Although some of these factors are highly predictive of malignancy, only final histology provides certainty of diagnosis. Clinicians should base their clinical practice and patient management on a body of clinical arguments.

Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak of the sphenoid sinus mimicking allergic rhinitis, and managed successfully by a ventriculoperitoneal shunt: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks are rare but may lead to confusion with other diseases in patients without history of trauma. We report a rare case unusual for two reasons. First, our patient was put under antiallergic medication for months before the diagnosis of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak of the sphenoid sinus. Second, our patient was managed successfully by a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient was a nonobese 49-year-old Arab man without history of trauma or surgery who presented with rhinorrhea. He was given allergic rhinitis medication for 4 months without improvement. After the onset of headache leading to the suspicion of paranasal sinusitis, a computed tomography scan discovered an osteodural defect in the sphenoid sinus roof and a magnetic resonance imaging scan showed an aspect of empty sella with an arachnoidocele. An eye fundus examination found papilledema suggesting the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. We performed a ventriculoperitoneal shunt without repair of the osteodural defect. Because of the favorable evolution, we decided to postpone surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak should be considered even in nonobese male patients without history of trauma. Our observation adds to other case reports suggesting the decrease of cerebrospinal fluid pressure alone as an option for the treatment of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Additional studies are necessary to clarify the indications.

Lymph nodes tuberculosis: a retrospective study on clinical and therapeutic features.

Lymph nodes tuberculosis represents 30 percent of extra pulmonary tuberculosis in Morocco. We report here the experience of the pulmonology unit of the Avicenne Military Hospital in Marrakech for a period of 4 years. Our study interested 30 patients (15 males and 15 females) with an average age of 29 years old (10 to 62 years old). Tuberculosis has interested a single site in 28 patients, the other two patients had multiple but unilateral involvement. For the single sites, locations were jugulo-carotidian (20 patients), supra-calvicular (2 patients), axillary (2 patients), sub-mandibular (2 patients), spinal (2 patients) and mediastinal (2 patients). For the multiple locations, the involvement was jugulo-carotidian, sub-mandibular, spinal and sub-clavicular for one patient; and jugulo-carotidian and sub-clavicular for the other. Diagnosis was made by surgical biopsy and histology for all the patients. A six-month anti-tuberculous treatment was given afterward, with relapses in two patients.

Association of laryngeal and nasopharyngeal tuberculosis: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: To the best of our knowledge, the association of nasopharyngeal and laryngeal tuberculosis has never been described before in the literature. We report here a first observation. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 38-year-old Arab man who presented with an isolated hoarseness. Radiological and endoscopic examinations showed a thickening of the left lateral wall of his nasopharynx and the left vocal cord. Pathology revealed the diagnosis of tuberculosis of both localizations. He received a 6-month antituberculous chemotherapy with a satisfying uneventful evolution. CONCLUSIONS: Tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue masses of the head and neck, particularly when the imaging findings and clinical presentation are atypical. The diagnosis of tuberculosis is mainly based on histopathological and/or bacteriological examination.

Malignant schwannoma of the infratemporal fossa: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Malignant schwannomas or neurofibrosarcomas are rare nerve tumors of unknown etiology. These neoplasms are highly aggressive with a marked propensity for local recurrence and metastatic spread. Their management continues to be a challenge for pathologists and surgeons. Maxillofacial locations are very exceptional. We report the case of a patient with unusual malignant schwannoma of the infratemporal fossa discovered at a late evolving stage. CASE PRESENTATION: A 56-year-old woman, of Moroccan nationality, presented to our hospital in 2013 with a large right-sided hemifacial swelling that had evolved over the previous 4 months, with a limitation of mouth opening, nasal obstruction and episodes of epistaxis. A CT scan and MRI showed a large and invasive tumor occupying her right infratemporal fossa and maxillary sinus, with sphenoidal, ethmoidonasal, nasopharyngeal and intraorbital extension. A nasal endoscopic biopsy was performed. Immunohistochemical examination concluded a diagnosis of malignant schwannoma, and a palliative radiotherapy was decided; however, our patient died 10 days later. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant schwannoma of paranasal sinuses and the anterior skull base is a rare tumor that involves a high rate of local invasion. The prognosis is poorer compared to that occurring in the trunk and extremities.