Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R A Sofferman

Publications and source records attributed to R A Sofferman.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Cranial arteritis in otolaryngology.

Cranial arteritis has the common presenting manifestations of headache and visual loss and is generally limited to elderly individuals. Nearly 50% of patients with the musculoskeletal disorder of polymyalgia rheumatica have an associated cranial arteritis, but the exact pathophysiologic relationship remains unclear. Although the literature suggests that otolaryngologic manifestations of cranial arteritis are infrequent, this report supports a contradictory viewpoint. Approximately 25% of patients with masticatory claudication, tongue pain, or frank lingual infarction. These oral manifestations should be recognized as indicators of a serious underlying arteritis.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pyriform sinus fistula: an unusual cause of recurrent retropharyngeal abscess and cellulitis.

Recurrent retropharyngeal cellulitis and recurrent suppurative thyroiditis are rare entities that share a common cause. A congenital fistula from the pyriform sinus apex to the thyroid gland has been identified in approximately 23 cases of suppurative thyroiditis and now has been implicated in a case of retropharyngeal abscess and repeated episodes of cellulitis. Virtually all reported cases have been on the left side, and the fistula is usually identified with a barium swallow study. When the esophagogram fails to demonstrate a fistula, a careful endoscopic search in the area of the left pyriform sinus should be actively pursued. An external surgical approach, which includes resection of the entire tract and involved area of the left thyroid, has been curative in all reported cases subjected to definitive surgical exploration.

Abscess↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Decision analysis of treatment options in pyriform sinus carcinoma.

Decision analysis was used to evaluate the current treatment options for stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the pyriform sinus (surgery, radiation therapy, and combined surgery/radiation therapy). Using published data, a decision tree was constructed based on quality-adjusted weeks of survival. With this model the combination of surgery and postoperative radiation therapy is preferred over either primary surgery or the combination of preoperative irradiation and surgery; primary radiation therapy is least favored. The decision is quite sensitive to the augmentation in survival that postoperative radiation therapy seems to provide over primary surgery. The decision is somewhat sensitive to the operative mortality rate and to the probability of disease-free survival following surgery. Quality of life issues emerge as important variables which need to be considered when planning treatment for patients with stage III pyriform sinus carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗