Faculty Bibliography

A case of mycotic aneurysm of the intracavernous carotid artery is reported and the literature is reviewed on this uncommon entity. Nineteen cases have been reported, most often occurring in the clinical setting of meningitis. Management recommendations include angiographic confirmation of aneurysm and follow-up with magnetic resonance imaging during antibiotic therapy. Evidence of aneurysm enlargement is an indication for endovascular trapping of the aneurysm or carotid occlusion.

The ability of surgery or bromocriptine to produce endocrine control of a prolactin macroadenoma decreases as the prolactin level increases. Guidelines for the use of multimodality therapy have not been developed for tumors associated with markedly elevated prolactin levels. We reviewed the records of 21 patients with prolactin levels greater than 200 ng/ml treated by transsphenoidal surgery and postoperative radiotherapy with or without a dopamine agonist. Values before and after treatment were available for 19 patients (13 men and 6 women). The mean basal prolactin level before treatment for the entire group was 2410 ng/ml. Surgery and radiotherapy resulted in a 90% reduction and serum prolactin levels within normal limits in 0 of 7 patients, versus the combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and dopamine agonist, which resulted in a 99.5% reduction and values within the normal range in 12 of 12 patients. Spontaneous physiological improvement was not often observed. One woman and two men were able subsequently to have children. A plan for these patients is discussed.

Forty-eight patients with cerebrospinal fluid leaks comprise this retrospective study. There were 39 traumatic and 9 spontaneous leaks. Nine patients were initially managed with bed rest and spinal drainage, but 3 patients in this group ultimately required surgical intervention for repair of their persistent leaks. Thirty-nine patients had surgery as initial therapy, with 33 extracranial repairs, 2 intracranial repairs, and 4 combined approaches. The extracranial approach was used in 36 of 42 patients, with an initial success rate of 86%

Although neurosurgeons have traditionally preferred intracranial repair for the management of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistulas, this approach is associated with the complications of a craniotomy, anosmia, and a high incidence of recurrent fistulas. Extracranial repair, on the other hand, produces no central nervous system morbidity, preserves olfaction, and is associated with a low incidence of recurrence. Although there have been several reports of extracranial repair of CSF fistulas by otorhinolaryngologists, this approach has received scant mention in the neurosurgical literature. We report here our experience with 37 patients with CSF rhinorrhea or otorrhea who underwent extracranial repair. The etiology of the fistula was postoperative in 22, traumatic in 6, and spontaneous in 9. The fistulas were repaired using one of four techniques: external ethmoid-sphenoid in 18 patients, transmastoid in 9, transseptosphenoid in 7, and osteoplastic frontal sinusotomy in 3. In 32 of the 37 patients (86%) the fistulas were successfully repaired with the initial procedure. Of the 5 patients requiring a second operation, the fistula was successfully closed in 4 for an overall success rate of 97%. Complications were few and consisted of a transient facial paresis in a patient undergoing transmastoid repair and one death from meningitis. The authors conclude that because of low morbidity and mortality and a high success rate in closing fistulas, extracranial repair is the preferred technique for the operative management of CSF rhinorrhea and otorrhea.

Members of the New York Head and Neck Society conducted a multi-institutional review correlating preoperative computed tomography (CT) of the neck with postoperative pathology in 59 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx, without palpable lymphadenopathy. All underwent CT followed by surgery that included partial or complete cervical lymphadenectomy. Sixteen (28%) patients had occult cervical metastases including 6 (17%) of 36 patients with 'early stage' (T1 and T2) primary tumors and 10 (44%) of 23 patients with 'advanced' (T3 or T4) lesions. There was agreement of CT scan findings with presence or absence of metastatic disease in 41 (69%) of 59 studies, with sensitivity 38%, and with specificity 81%. Findings of central lucency and nodal confluence were highly reliable indicators of malignancy, whereas nodal size bore a less direct relationship. Intravenous contrast medium was useful for anatomical delineation, but not for identification of malignancy. Review of films by a single radiologist did not produce greater diagnostic accuracy than the original interpretations. The authors conclude that while it is not possible to identify all instances of cervical node involvement, employment of CT in addition to physical examination and prognostication based on primary tumor stage will facilitate appropriate selection of patients for elective treatment of the neck

Internal maxillary artery ligation is effective in treating epistaxis. Occasionally a patient may continue to hemorrhage after this procedure. Evaluation of postoperative angiograms reveals several factors accounting for the failure of internal maxillary artery ligation. These factors include incomplete ligation of vessels, alternative dominance of vessels, and reconstitution of flow through collaterals. Eleven such patients have been successfully treated with angiography and embolization. There was one complication of skin slough in the region of the columella. Embolization is a useful modality in the management of these difficult cases

The laryngocele and saccular cyst are uncommon anomalies of the larynx. Two patients, one with an internal laryngocele and one with a saccular cyst, were successfully treated by endoscopic laser marsupialization of their lesions. Since neither patient was found to be a suitable candidate for prolonged general anesthesia, the patients did not require a tracheotomy and were discharged the day after surgery. Both patients are doing well, with remarkable improvement in their voices persisting in their three year follow-up. The signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and indications for endoscopic laser treatment of internal laryngoceles and saccular cysts are discussed. Laser marsupialization of internal laryngoceles appears to be an acceptable mode of treatment