Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R M Tiwari.
Malignant transformation of an adenolymphoma (Warthin's tumour) is a rare event. This paper presents a case of carcinoma arising in an adenolymphoma of the parotid gland.
Oropharyngeal reconstruction especially after surgery for medially located lesions of moderate dimensions presents a challenge. The risk of using well vascularized, but insensitive tissues close to the airway has led to the development of several measures to overcome the difficulties involved. The transposition of masseter muscle which has been put forward in recent years provides successfully primary closure with preservation of function.
A clinicopathological study of 51 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma in the head and neck region seen over a period of 20 years is presented. The correlation between various histological features and their impact on the results is attempted. Longterm results with respect to loco-regional recurrences, distant metastases and survival with various modalities of therapy are presented. Although this is a small series, radical surgery in keeping with the aim of avoiding undue mutilation, thus preserving the quality of life, followed by a full course of radiotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment and the results here presented justify this approach.
Patients with carcinoma of the tongue including the base of the tongue who underwent total glossectomy in a period of just over ten years since January 1979 have been reviewed. Total glossectomy may be indicated as salvage surgery or as a primary procedure. The larynx may be preserved or may have to be sacrificed depending upon the site of the lesion. When the larynx is preserved the use of laryngeal suspension facilitates early rehabilitation and preserves the quality of life to a large extent. Cricopharyngeal myotomy seems unnecessary.
A retrospective study of a selected group of 58 patients with T3 and T4 squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx presenting between 1974 and 1984 was undertaken. These patients were treated primarily with radical radiotherapy and salvage surgery in reserve. The aim of this study was to examine survival, recurrence rate and the complications after salvage surgery. In 30 patients the tumor was classified as a T3 and in 28 as a T4. In 14 patients (24%) nodal disease in the neck was present prior to the radiotherapy. Follow-up in all patients continued for at least 3 years or until death. Nineteen patients (33%) developed locally recurrent tumor and five (9%) developed nodal metastases to the neck. The recurrence in almost every patient was detected within 2 years after completion of the irradiation. Thirty patients (52%) are alive of whom 29 have no evidence of disease. Of these 30 patients 22 (73%) have their larynx intact and functioning. The 5-year adjusted acturial survival for the whole group of patients is 73%, for the T3N0 group 87% and for the T4N0 group 75%. Patients with nodal disease responded poorly. After salvage surgery severe postoperative complications developed in 37% of the patients. There were no deaths following salvage surgery.
The heterogeneity of glottic carcinoma results in variable loco-regional control probabilities from 40 to 80%. These widely different results may be due to two prognostic parameters of the tumor: the mobility of the vocal cord and the volume of the tumor. On the other hand radiation dose and technique may influence the treatment results. Stringent work-up has been prospectively undertaken in 156 patients with Stage II glottic carcinoma since 1974 through 1983 in the Academic Hospital of the Free University in Amsterdam. Several subgroups were defined from the beginning to indicate one or both of these prognostic factors. All were treated with a high quality accurate radiation therapy program delivering high dose to all patients with worse prognostic factors and even higher dosages to voluminous tumors with impaired mobility of a cord or slowly regressing tumors. The latter was individually judged for each patient towards the end of the treatment period. The loco-regional control probability of around 80% for all the subgroups irrespective of the prognostic factors indicate that the heterogeneity of Stage II glottic cancer may be influenced by high dosages of quality controlled radiotherapy. Thus results hitherto reported in literature may be further improved by the dose-schedules outlined here.
A brief review of the literature on cartilagenous tumours of the larynx is presented and their pathology, clinical features and treatment is discussed: Chondromas are rare; Chondrosarcomas can be potentially fatal. Conservative surgical therapy and close follow up is the essential line of treatment for tumours of the cricoid cartilage. Three new cases are presented.
The voice obtained with the Staffieri method of surgical voice rehabilitation after total laryngectomy was studied in 20 subjects and objectively described in terms of selected acoustic and aerodynamic parameters. Intensity and frequency, pressure and airflow were studied during sustained phonation of the vowel 'a'. Simultaneous recordings showed a relationship between intensity and between fundamental frequency, pressure and airflow in most of the subjects. As the subjects in the present study were not able to produce a vowel at target intensities and frequencies, the data were interpolated to 65 dB (A) intensity level for comparison purposes. We found no indication that from an acoustical and aerodynamical point of view, the Staffieri procedure should be preferred over other alaryngeal voice production methods.
The Staffieri method was used for voice rehabilitation after total laryngectomy in our patients. Leakage of saliva has been a problem in some. It has been suggested that aspiration could be due to specific pressure relations in the pharynx, upper oesophageal sphincter and cervical oesophagus during deglutition (Mann et al., 1980). Regarding voice production, the upper oesophageal sphincter is probably the main sound source, functioning in essentially the same way as in oesophageal speech. Intraluminal pressure recordings at rest and during swallowing were used in 16 Staffieri speakers and 9 oesophageal speakers. Upper oesophageal sphincter dysfunction was seen more often in Staffieri speakers with aspiration problems than in Staffieri speakers without aspiration problems, but the relation is not clearly understood. A definite relation could be established between upper oesophageal sphincter function in terms of relaxation and coordination and aerodynamic pressure measured in the tracheostoma, necessary to sustain phonation. After dilatation of the oesophagus, produced by the inflow of air, a reflex rise in the upper oesophageal sphincter pressure is thought to occur. The pressure necessary to sustain phonation probably depends on the extent to which this reflex mechanism occurs and on the ability of the patient to induce a relaxation of the upper oesophageal sphincter before air expulsion. Selective myotomy will possibly lower the necessary pressure and enhance vocal rehabilitation. Whether this will solve a part of the aspiration problems in Staffieri speakers is completely unpredictable, as the relation of the motor function of the upper oesophageal sphincter and the aspiration problems is not well understood.
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The auricle is unique in its structure and its reconstruction has remained a challenge for a long time. Much progress has been made in this field in recent years, especially with regard to congenitally malformed ears. In otolaryngological practice total or partial ablation of the auricle is encountered either following surgery for tumours or as a result of trauma. Following total amputation of the pinna the defect can be concealed by a prosthesis and although surgical replacement of the complete auricle is possible it is seldom necessary. Partially ablated auricles on the other hand are difficult to conceal. In a cosmetically conscious society like ours this must generate some psychological stress. In this article a simple versatile technique of reconstruction of partial defects as commonly seen in otolaryngological practice is presented. Other methods are reviewed.
A 51-year-old man developed prolonged papilloedema as a result of increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure following staged bilateral radical neck dissection. The patient recovered completely with no further specific therapy. Although the prognosis for vision is usually good in patients with longstanding papilloedema due to raised cerebrospinal fluid pressure, permanent visual impairment remains a serious complication. In the presence of anatomical variations of the venous pathways by which the blood leaves the brain, a raised intracranial pressure may also develop following unilateral radical neck dissection. Nine cases of increased intracranial pressure following unilateral radical neck dissection reported in the literature until now are briefly reviewed.
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In 1926, Abrikossoff described a tumor, usually benign, which only rarely appears in the esophagus. In a 40-year-old woman, the authors found a multicentric granular cell tumor which was localized in the cervical esophagus and in the subcutaneous tissues over the right scapula; it was removed surgically. Granular cell tumors causing stenosis of the upper esophagus have been described only four times in the literature. Characteristics and treatment are discussed.
Since the advent of antibiotics osteomyelitis in the head and neck is relatively uncommon and the condition has become a sort of medical curiosity. In the last 16 years, only three cases have been seen by the second author. It is the purpose of this paper to present these cases from our experience and to show that control and cure may only be achieved by early diagnosis, appropriate antibiotic therapy and, where necessary, by radical surgery with the excision of all diseased bone and with prolonged use of antibiotics post-operatively. In cases of diagnostic difficulties the use of scintigraphy is advisable. Established osteomyelitis of the frontal bone necessitates CAT scanning of the cranium to exclude intracerebral extension.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.