Faculty Bibliography

Various complications of rhytidectomy have been well described. Although there have been reports of traumatic pseudoaneurysm formation after cosmetic surgery, none has concerned rhytidectomy. We report the first known case of a superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm that ostensibly developed 3 months after a face lift. Pseudoaneurysm is an infrequent occurrence in the facial region, and the inclusion of this lesion in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue lesions is important if hemorrhage is to be avoided.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the risk of aspiration of pureed foods in patients with dysphagia with increasing sensory deficits of the hypopharynx with intact versus impaired pharyngeal muscular tone (pharyngeal squeeze). STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred four dysphagic patients underwent flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing and were prospectively divided into 3 groups, with normal, moderate, and severe sensory deficits. Each group was divided into those with normal and those with impaired pharyngeal squeeze. Subjects were given pureed food boluses and were evaluated for aspiration. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the incidence of aspiration of pureed foods for normal and moderate sensory loss when comparing normal and impaired pharyngeal squeeze (P < 0.001, Fisher exact test). There was no significant difference in the severe sensory loss group. In both the normal and impaired pharyngeal squeeze groups, there was no significant difference in aspiration as the sensory deficit increases. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with impaired pharyngeal squeeze at different levels of sensory deficits are at significantly greater risk for aspiration of pureed foods compared with those with normal squeeze. However, as sensory deficits increased, the patients did not show a significant increase in aspiration. The aspiration of pureed foods may depend more on muscle tone of the hypopharynx than on sensation. Dysphagic patients who are given a pureed diet to prevent aspiration may still be at risk for aspiration. This may be easily predicted by the use of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing in conjunction with evaluation of pharyngeal muscle tone

Spindle cells are not routinely encountered in the context of thyroid pathology and are most often present in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and benign conditions such as Riedel struma or de Quervain granulomatous thyroiditis. Only a few publications have reported papillary thyroid carcinoma admixed with a prominent spindle cell component. While these tumors are clearly distinct from anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, prognostication as to their oncologic potential is not yet established. We describe a unique case of spindle cell transformation of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The blandness of the spindle cells was so impressive as to dissuade us from a malignant diagnosis on preoperative biopsies. However, this patient unfortunately died shortly after transformation of this papillary thyroid carcinoma. We conclude that this peculiar and rare spindle cell transformation should be regarded as a potentially lethal variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma

INTRODUCTION: A retrospective review of 91 patients with brain metastases from malignant melanoma treated at New York University Medical Center between 1989-1999. Overall survival was the outcome evaluated. METHODS: Charts of 91 patients having malignant melanoma with brain metastases were reviewed. Cases were stratified according to therapy: surgical excision, surgical excision plus whole brain radiation therapy, gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery, gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery plus whole brain radiation therapy, and whole brain radiation therapy alone. Patients treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery plus radiation therapy were combined with patients treated with surgical excision plus radiation therapy and compared to those treated with radiation therapy alone. Prognostic characteristics of the two groups were compared and survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to control for prognostic factors that differed between the groups. RESULTS: Patients treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery or surgical excision plus radiation therapy were younger, less likely to present with symptoms, and presented with fewer metastases to the brain than patients treated with radiation therapy alone. A survival benefit of 7.3 months (p = 0.05) was found to be associated with gamma knife radiosurgery or surgical excision plus radiation therapy over radiation therapy alone after controlling for differences in age, number of brain lesions, and presence of symptoms. DISCUSSION: This retrospective study of 91 patients treated for melanoma metastases to the brain attempts to examine the effectiveness of different treatments in prolonging survival. Our results suggest that surgical excision or stereotactic radiosurgery with gamma knife in addition to radiation therapy may be more effective than radiation alone at prolonging survival for patients with a limited number of brain lesions. CONCLUSION: Survival of patients with melanoma metastases to the brain may be prolonged by treatment with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery or surgical excision plus whole brain radiation therapy