Faculty Bibliography

There has been widespread use of periodic dilatations in the management of subglottic stenosis. However, some authorities have questioned the value in the overall rehabilitation of patients affected by this disorder. The first phase of this study included fourteen large dogs in which acute subglottic lesions were created by use of a high-speed electric drill and electrocautery. Twelve animals served as the experimental group and two animals were controls. Obstructing lesions developed in all the animals within 7 to 21 days. When at least a 50% obstruction developed in an animal, a treatment plan was instituted that included at least weekly dilatation, removal of granulations, and administration of intralesional steroids and/or systemic steroids and antibiotics. The two control animals became totally obstructed and were killed. Varying degrees of subglottic stenosis developed in all twelve experimental animals after 8 weeks of dilatation, but none required a tracheotomy. These twelve animals were then subjected to 8 additional weeks of dilatation and antibiotics, and supplemental steroids were used in some animals from this study. It can be concluded that early periodic dilatation and granulation removal in the acutely injured subglottis is effective in prevention of severe stenosis, late periodic dilatations in chronic subglottic stenosis are not helpful in further alleviation of obstruction, the concomitant use of antibiotics and systemic steroids did not appreciably prevent or alter the development of subglottic stenosis, and the concomitant use of intralesional steroids appeared to be of benefit in the management of chronic acquired subglottic stenosis

Mucoceles of the sphenoid sinus are rare. Only occasional reports have appeared in the medical literature since they were first described by Berg in 1889. The sphenoid sinus lies deep within the skull at the crossroads of 13 sensitive structures. The presence of a sphenoid sinus mucocele may be accompanied by a wide variety of signs and symptoms depending upon which of these structures are involved. The majority of these lesions are initially misdiagnosed as malignancies leading to increased patient morbidity and possible mismanagement. We present two cases of sphenoid sinus mucoceles which presented with a variety of neurological signs and symptoms. The radiographic findings were felt to be consistent with skull base malignancies. The diagnosis was corrected only after surgical exploration of the sphenoid sinus revealed a mucocele

An extraskeletal chondroma occurring over the dorsum of the wrist of a 61-year-old woman is reported. The lobulated tumor is cellular and shows mild-to-moderate nuclear pleomorphism of the chondroid cells. A unique feature is that some tumor cells are univacuolated and multivacuolated owing to accumulation of lipid, mimicking the appearances of lipoblasts.

Mediastinitis resulting from perforations of the hypopharynx is a life-threatening complication associated with a high morbidity and mortality. In cases of perforation, which are not amenable to primary closure, transoral irrigation has been found to be an effective means of therapy. This technique rapidly controls sepsis, favoring the closure of perforations of the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus. Using this technique we have had no mortality attributed to mediastinitis in patients with mediastinitis due to perforation of the hypopharynx, cervical and thoracic esophagus

Traditionally, gullet closure that is done after a laryngectomy has been accomplished with tedious and time-consuming suturing procedures. As an alternative to this, staple closure of the gullet has been growing in acceptance and implementation as a mucosal eversion technique. In this article, we shall present several aspects and considerations of this method of surgical closure

The introduction of the carbon dioxide laser as an endoscopic surgical instrument has stimulated interest in its application for removal of stenotic lesions of the larynx. Clinical reports have indicated mixed results in the efficacy of this treatment modality. Nineteen large dogs received acute subglottic injuries from a high-speed electric drill and electrocautery. All animals developed obstructing lesions from 7 to 21 days after injury. With at least weekly removal of granulation tissue and dilations, all animals developed mature subglottic and/or posterior commissure scars. Two animals required tracheostomy. The 15 animals in the experimental group underwent 16 laser procedures. Three animals had vaporization of one third of the scar, three of one half of the scar, and three had total circumferential vaporization. Five animals underwent microtrapdoor flap procedures. Of these, four had a single flap and one had three separate flaps created. In the remaining animal in the experimental group a glottic web developed, which was totally ablated. In one animal treated with a microtrapdoor flap procedure a posterior sinus tract also developed and was treated with laser ablation. The animals undergoing segmental resection of scar demonstrated no improvement in airway size. Those undergoing total resection experienced a worsening of the condition. Those undergoing microtrapdoor flap repair demonstrated moderate improvement in airway size. It can be concluded that large areas of scar removal in the larynx by the CO2 laser will result in prompt recurrence and possible worsening of the scar and smaller submucosal resection of the scar, with preservation of mucosa by the microtrapdoor flap technique, may be helpful in improving the airway

A major concern regarding multichannel (multi-electrode) cochlear prosthesis usage has been the possibility of long-term deleterious physiological effects such as the degeneration of spiral ganglion cells, neuronal degeneration, and new bone formation. These effects, if present, would become evident in the deterioration of hearing sensation and performance of the cochlear implant recipient on a battery of audiologic tests. To date, five patients using the Australian multi-electrode multichannel cochlear implant have undergone a 1-year evaluation of the device. The assessment includes a check of electrical threshold and comfort levels for each electrode, sound field pure tone and speech thresholds, the MAC battery, vowel and consonant recognition tests, and speech tracking tasks. All results were compared to those obtained postoperatively following stimulation and a 3-month training period. Results to date have shown no deterioration in implant functioning in all patients tested. Periodic extensive monitoring of all implant recipients is advocated in order to evaluate the possibility of long-term effects