Hypoglossal nerve injury as a complication of anterior surgery to the upper cervical spine. (1/225)

Injury to the hypoglossal nerve is a recognised complication after soft tissue surgery in the upper part of the anterior aspect of the neck, e.g. branchial cyst or carotid body tumour excision. However, this complication has been rarely reported following surgery of the upper cervical spine. We report the case of a 35-year-old woman with tuberculosis of C2-3. She underwent corpectomy and fusion from C2 to C5 using iliac crest bone graft, through a left anterior oblique incision. She developed hypoglossal nerve palsy in the immediate postoperative period, with dysphagia and dysarthria. It was thought to be due to traction neurapraxia with possible spontaneous recovery. At 18 months' follow-up, she had a solid fusion and tuberculosis was controlled. The hypoglossal palsy persisted, although with minimal functional disability. The only other reported case of hypoglossal lesion after anterior cervical spine surgery in the literature also failed to recover. It is concluded that hypoglossal nerve palsy following anterior cervical spine surgery is unlikely to recover spontaneously and it should be carefully identified.  (+info)

The difference between delayed extubation and tracheostomy in post-operative sleep apnea after glossectomy or laryngectomy. (2/225)

BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer of the tongue or larynx require glossectomies or laryngectomies and subsequent reconstruction. These procedures remove part of the patient's upper airway. In cancer of the tongue, the removed part of the airway is substituted by a flap of their skin. Post-operatively, it is possible that the patients have problems respiring comfortably. In addition to this, long surgical procedures may simply interfere with their circadian rhythm. To elucidate the possible change in their post-operative respiration, we monitored the patient's respiratory pattern with an apnea monitor. METHODS: We attached an apnea monitor to the patients and recorded their respiratory pattern and arterial oxygen saturation. The patients were monitored for a total of five days: three days prior to the operation, one day before the operation, the day of operation, two days after, and on the fourth day after the operation. The period of monitoring was from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next morning. RESULTS: Sixteen patients completed this study. The patients whose tube was extubated after glossectomy showed frequent apnea, low mean oxygen saturation and low comfort score as compared to the patients with tracheostomy after laryngectomy. Because two failed cases of free skin flap were among the former, it is possible that the frequent apnea is a factor of failed free skin graft after glossectomy and laryngectomy. CONCLUSION: Further studies are required to improve the patient's respiration during their sleep after tracheal extubation in glossectomy.  (+info)

Sclerosing Mucoepidermoid carcinoma with eosinophilia of the thyroid glands: a case report with clinical manifestation of recurrent neck mass. (3/225)

Sclerosing mucoepidermoid carcinoma with eosinophilia (SMECE) is a recently recognized malignant neoplasm of the thyroid gland. About 14 cases of SMECE have been reported and this is the first reported case in Korea. A 57-year-old woman presented with right neck mass for 20 years. Total thyroidectomy was performed under the impression of thyroid carcinoma. The resected thyroid gland showed a poorly circumscribed hard mass. Histologically, the tumor consisted of solid nests of large atypical cells with dense fibrous stroma. The tumor cells showed squamoid appearance with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. There were also rare mucin-containing cells within the nests. Within the hyalinized stroma, numerous eosinophils were found. The surrounding thyroid parenchyma displayed Hashimoto's thyroiditis. There was metastasis in a regional lymph node. Two years after initial surgery, she underwent a modified radical neck dissection due to recurrent neck mass. After the radiation therapy for eight weeks, laryngectomy and esophagectomy were performed due to a recurrent carcinoma in the esophageal wall. We report an additional case of SMECE, with metastasis to regional lymph nodes and esophagus. The tumor appears to be more aggressive than previously reported and a correct diagnosis can be rendered by just examining the metastatic lesions.  (+info)

Sonographic findings of the neopharynx after total laryngectomy: comparison with CT. (4/225)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To our knowledge, sonographic findings in the neopharynx have not been well characterized. We describe our results and assess the role of sonography versus CT in patients who have undergone total laryngectomy. METHODS: We examined 25 patients (24 men and one woman; 44-78 years old) who had had a total laryngectomy. Sonography (with a 10-MHz transducer) and contrast-enhanced CT were performed in all patients. We evaluated the normal shape of the neopharynx and assessed the accuracy of sonography versus CT in detecting tumor recurrence in the neck. RESULTS: The neopharynx appears as a round or ovoid structure on imaging studies. On sonograms, the neopharyngeal wall has five layers of alternating echogenicity: an innermost hyperechoic layer of superficial mucosa, an inner hypoechoic layer of deep mucosa, a middle hyperechoic layer of submucosa, an outer hypoechoic layer of muscle, and an outermost hyperechoic layer of adventitia. On CT scans, the neopharynx appears as a three-layered structure, with an inner hyperdense layer of mucosa, a middle hypodense layer of submucosa, and an outer isodense layer of pharyngeal constrictor muscles. Nine pathologically proved recurrences were found: three local recurrences, one local recurrence with lymph node metastasis, and five cases of lymph node metastasis only. One instance of false-negative lymph node metastasis was seen at sonography and one case of false-positive local recurrence was seen at CT. CONCLUSION: The neopharynx has a unique sonographic appearance, and this imaging technique is useful for detecting local tumor recurrence in the neopharynx in patients who have had a total laryngectomy.  (+info)

Blindness after laryngectomy and bilateral neck dissection in a diabetic patient: case report. (5/225)

CONTEXT: Neck dissection that accompanies resection of the primary lesion in malignant tumors of the upper aerodigestive tracts may cause complications inherent to the procedure or to prolongation of surgical time, increasing the risks for the patient. Among the complications that might occur is blindness, a rare complication with only 10 cases reported in the literature thus far. OBJECTIVE: To present the case of a diabetic patient submitted to total laryngectomy and modified and selective neck dissection that resulted in blindness. CASE REPORT: The authors report on a patient submitted to total laryngectomy and selective neck dissection on the left side, and modified radical neck dissection on the right, who developed blindness. This was probably due to intraoperative hypotension plus the contribution of decompensated diabetes mellitus and thrombosis of the internal jugular vein on the right side. The possible causes, risk factors and care to be taken to prevent this rare but highly debilitating complication are discussed.  (+info)

Normal laryngeal CT findings after supracricoid partial laryngectomy. (6/225)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Supracricoid horizontal partial laryngectomy (SCPL) is increasingly used to treat endolaryngeal carcinoma. However, few radiologic reports of these procedures exist. Our purpose was to evaluate the normal CT appearance of the neolarynx after surgery. METHODS: SCPL includes cricohyoidopexy (CHP), cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP), and tracheocricohyoidoepiglottopexy (TCHEP). We examined CT scans obtained from 18 patients without local superficial recurrence who underwent SCPL: 10, CHEP; seven, CHP; and one, TCHEP. Three reference sections were used to analyze the main surgical reconstruction: an upper section through the hyoid bone, a lower section through the cricoid cartilage, and a middle section in between. The distance between the hyoid bone and cricoid cartilage was measured. RESULTS: The epiglottis and valleculae were visible in the upper section in seven of 10 patients who underwent CHEP; this finding allowed distinction between CHEP and CHP. The arytenoids were depicted in 13 of 18 cases and reflected neolaryngeal shortening. The lower section showed the empty cricoid lumen lined by a thin mucosa; the anterior arch of the cricoid was amputated at TCHEP. The middle section showed the neovestibule, the lateral boundaries of which were the hypertrophic neoaryepiglottic folds; the anterior limit was the epiglottis for CHEP or the base of the tongue for CHP. The average distance between the hyoid bone and cricoid cartilage was 11 mm. CONCLUSION: Normal CT anatomy of the larynx after SCPL is defined. Three key sections may accurately distinguish the various types of SCPL. CT is a valuable tool for depicting tumor recurrence, especially when the tumor is submucosal.  (+info)

Surgeon information giving practices prior to laryngectomy: a national survey. (7/225)

Prior to the proposed development of a pretreatment counselling package for patients with cancer of the larynx or pharynx, a study was undertaken to determine current information giving practice prior to laryngectomy. A postal questionnaire was sent to all UK ENT consultants registered in the Medical Directory. The response rate was 88%, with 48% meeting the study's entry criteria. Counselling practice varies widely. Surgeons report an average of 15 min available for discussion with the patient: 84% gave the diagnosis and discussed the treatment options at the same consultation. The size of the department, as measured by cases seen per year, did not correlate with the consultation time although it did with the numerous different issues discussed. Whilst the survey supports the need and desire for an appropriate counselling package, many surgeons feel that they alone know what the patient's information needs are.  (+info)

Olfactory acuity after total laryngectomy. (8/225)

The olfactory acuity of 29 patients receiving laryngectomy was prospectively studied. The olfactory acuity was evaluated by Jet Stream Olfactometer (JSO) and Alinamin test preoperatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The findings of nasal/olfactory mucosae were also observed by rigid endoscope. Based on the results of JSO, the averages of detection/recognition thresholds tended to increase 3 months postoperatively, then the averaged thresholds tended to decrease thereafter. There were significant differences between preoperative values and those 3 months after surgery, but there were no significant differences between preoperative values and these 6/12 months after surgery. Nasal respiratory mucosae observed 12 months after laryngectomy showed atrophic nasal mucosa in 11/14 patients. However, olfactory mucosae appeared normal in all of the patients observed. These results suggested that the function of the olfactory epithelium remained intact after laryngectomy.  (+info)