Faculty Bibliography

Internal jugular vein thrombosis is a vascular disorder that is easily overlooked or misdiagnosed. It occurs in a variety of clinical settings which disrupt normal blood flow through the internal jugular vein. Intravenous drug abusers represent a high risk group in this study. Diagnosis is readily made by computed tomography. Seven patients are presented, with discussion of the pathogenesis, clinical findings, radiologic features, potential complications, and treatment rationale

Cricopharyngeal myotomy is an effective procedure for the treatment of swallowing disorders due to dysfunction of the upper esophageal sphincter and pharyngeal musculature. Eight patients with documented pharyngeal and sphincteric dysfunction have undergone myotomies with significant improvement in swallowing associated with restoration of oral feeding without aspiration in 5, while 3 patients have not improved. The preoperative work-up and evaluation is discussed as well as criteria that may identify those patients most likely to benefit from this treatment

Recent advances with aggressive vascular radiologic techniques have altered the methods of treatment of head and neck vascular malformations. High resolution CT scanning and superselective angiography with subtraction technique is now capable of defining the extent of these lesions and demonstrating blood flow dynamics. Careful joint evaluation by the vascular radiologist and the head and neck surgeon is necessary for the proper treatment of these patients. Preoperative embolization of these lesions effectively reduces intraoperative blood loss and provides for better exposure in those patients ultimately undergoing resection of these masses. Careful selection of those cases that are amenable to total or subtotal excision, with adherence to specific criteria and goals, usually produces gratifying results. We present five patients who have undergone combined treatment of their head and neck vascular lesions. Our treatment protocol is reviewed and emphasis is placed on the integral part that the vascular radiologist assumes in the treatment of these patients.

Oral florid papillomatosis is an uncommon condition that has been treated with various forms of therapy in the past. This lesion is considered to be premalignant by most authors, and surgical therapy has ranged from local excision to radical resection. A case of oral florid papillomatosis involving the entire hard palate and extending over the superior alveolar ridge into the buccal-gingival sulcus is presented. This patient was successfully treated by a two-stage carbon dioxide (CO2) laser excision with excellent functional results and minimal morbidity.

The use of myocutaneous flaps has resulted in improved methods for reconstruction involving the head and neck area. The platysma myocutaneous flap offers an excellent alternative for reconstructing appropriate oral cavity defects resulting from tumor ablation. It has certain advantages over other local or distant pedicled flaps and has been proved to be a reliable alternative for single-stage repair of these defects. The technique of this flap is described and a review of its use in six cases, including complications, is discussed

Infiltrating lipomata are unusual benign tumors that have been rarely associated with the head and neck areas. We present the only known documented case of an infiltrating lipoma of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The literature is reviewed and the characteristics of these lesions are discussed. The head and neck surgeon should include these interesting tumors in the differential diagnosis of head and neck masses and be aware that, because of a known propensity for recurrence, total surgical excision is the treatment of choice.

An attempt has been made to compare the long-term results using preoperative radiation and surgery with radiation therapy alone in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the pyriform sinus. There is a 33% survival for the combined therapy group and a 6% survival for the curative radiation group. Large primary lesions and the presence of cervical adenopathy portend a grave prognosis. The various surgical procedures used are presented with the extent of the primary lesion as the determining factor