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Retrosternal goiter: a six-year institutional review.

Retrosternal goiter is defined as any goiter in which at least 50 per cent of the thyroid resides below the level of the thoracic inlet. The incidence of retrosternal goiter varies from 3 to 20 per cent with respect to thyroidectomy patients. A retrospective chart review from June 1991 to December 1997 found 232 thyroidectomies performed at our institution. Sixteen patients were found to have retrosternal goiters (6.9%). The mean age was 57.8 years (range, 34-92). All were of benign pathology. Symptoms included shortness of breath (68.8%), hoarseness (37.5%), dysphagia (31.3%), and superior vena cava obstruction (6.25%). Thirteen patients were female (81.3%). Fifteen patients had surgical intervention (93.8%). Total thyroidectomy was performed in nine cases (60%), whereas lobectomy was performed in six cases (40%). All treated patients had complete resolution of symptoms. A cervical incision alone was used in 13 cases (86.7%). Complications consisted of one postoperative pleural effusion and in one case a traumatic C5 nerve root compression occurred. There were no instances of long-term vocal cord paralysis or hypoparathyroidism. There was no perioperative mortality. In the majority of patients with retrosternal goiter, surgery can be done expeditiously through a cervical incision with minimal morbidity and mortality.

Adult↗

Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Current strategies for patient management.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a chronic disease whose incidence is often underestimated. Approximately 10% of the population in the United States experience heartburn each day. In addition, as many as 50% of patients with unexplained chest pain, chronic hoarseness, or asthma may be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease. Disease severity ranges from occasional, mild heartburn to erosive esophagitis and its complications. Endoscopy and air-contrast barium radiography are important diagnostic tools. Esophageal pH monitoring can confirm excessive reflux in patients with atypical symptoms or in patients who do not respond to drug therapy. Depending on severity, gastroesophageal reflux disease may be managed through lifestyle modification, antacid and/or antirefluxant drugs, promotility (prokinetic) drugs, fundoplication, and/or acid-suppressant agents (eg, H2-receptor antagonists, proton pump inhibitors). Safety, effectiveness, patient compliance, and cost factors must be considered in determining the most appropriate long-term maintenance therapy.

Adult↗

Echinacea purpurea therapy for the treatment of the common cold: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Echinacea purpurea stimulates the immune response and is promoted to reduce symptom severity and the duration of upper respiratory tract infections. We sought to determine the efficacy of a standardized preparation of E purpurea in reducing symptom severity and duration of the common cold. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design was used. Patients received either 100 mg of E purpurea (freeze-dried pressed juice from the aerial portion of the plant) or a lactose placebo 3 times daily until cold symptoms were relieved or until the end of 14 days, whichever came first. Symptoms (sneezing, nasal discharge, nasal congestion, headache, sore or scratchy throat, hoarseness, muscle aches, and cough) were scored subjectively by the patient and recorded daily in a diary. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the survival function of time to resolution in each group. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare time to resolution between the 2 groups. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-eight patients were enrolled within 24 hours of cold symptom onset. Group demographic distribution was comparable for sex, age, time from symptom onset to enrollment in the study, average number of colds per year, and smoking history. No statistically significant difference was observed between treatment groups for either total symptom scores (P range,.29-.90) or mean individual symptom scores (P range,.09-.93). The time to resolution of symptoms was not statistically different (P =.73). CONCLUSIONS: Some studies have concluded that Echinacea effectively reduces the symptoms and duration of the common cold. We were unable to replicate such findings. Further studies using different preparations and dosages of E purpurea are necessary to validate previous claims.

Adolescent↗

Deterioration of giant cell arteritis with corticosteroid therapy.

BACKGROUND: Failure of response of giant cell arteritis (GCA) to corticosteroid therapy has invariably been attributed to the delay in diagnosing the disease or the use of inadequate corticosteroid dosage. Following our observation of progressive deterioration following the introduction of prednisolone use in a patient, we examined the possibility that worsening of the condition might be due to corticosteroid therapy rather than coincidence. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether corticosteroid therapy may exacerbate GCA. DESLGN: Case report and an analysis of similar cases reported in the medical literature. PATIENT: A 64-year-old man had a 3-month history of headache, night sweats, malaise and general weakness, and anorexia and weight loss and a more recent history of jaw claudication, dysphagia, and hoarseness. Clinical findings included prominent temporal arteries with absent pulsation, abnormal saccades to the right, and eyelid retraction. Laboratory findings included an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and platelet count. Results of a biopsy of the temporal artery confirmed GCA. Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed ischemic cerebellar lesions and a mature infarct in the left anterior occipital, posteroparietal region. Following corticosteroid therapy commencement, the patient's condition deteriorated steadily for 5 days with clinical signs suggestive of an evolving vertebrobasilar stroke. Following treatment with high-dose intravenous dexamethasone sodium phosphate and heparin sodium, his symptoms improved. DATA SOURCES: The review included analysis of autopsy-based reports in which clinical details are provided and clinical reports in which major visual or cerebral complications are described. Significant complications occurred in many cases shortly following the introduction of corticosteroid therapy. In many of these cases, the symptoms indicated that GCA had been present for a significant period prior to corticosteroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Progressively evolving occlusive strokes may occur following corticosteroid therapy in patients with GCA. In cerebrovascular complications, vascular occlusion occurs at sites of active vasculitis, usually within the vertebrobasilar system. It is not certain that the worsening of the condition following corticosteroid therapy is always coincidental, and an alternative possibility, namely a functional relationship between the initiation of corticosteroid therapy and clinical deterioration, should be borne in mind.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Pediatric angioedema: ten years' experience.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the cause, clinical course, and management of children with angioedema. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Urban tertiary care hospital for children. PATIENTS: Consecutive sample of all children hospitalized from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 1997, with the diagnosis of angioedema. Complete records permitting analysis were available for 10 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sex, age, site, symptoms at initial examination, cause, therapeutic management, and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Seven boys and 3 girls, a mean age of 7.7 years, had angioedema of the head or neck, most often facial (8/10 [80%]). Manifesting symptoms, in addition to swelling, were tenderness or pain in 4 children (40%), dyspnea in 3 (30%), dysphagia (including drooling and spitting) in 3 (30%), and hoarseness in 1 (10%). Angioedema was due to food in 4 children (40%), insect bites in 3 (30%), infection in 2 (20%), and an antibiotic in 1 (10%). Treatment was pharmacological in all cases. No child required intubation or tracheotomy. Care in the intensive care unit was necessary for 1 child (10%). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric angioedema exhibits a different cause and clinical manifestations than does adult angioedema. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment with an intravenous corticosteroid, an antihistamine, and/or epinephrine lead to rapid resolution and may, in appropriately staffed settings, avoid the need for care in the intensive care unit or airway intervention. Management algorithms based on adult experience must be modified to account for the milder pediatric manifestations of this immunologic disease.

Adolescent↗

Results of larynx preservation surgery for advanced laryngeal cancer through tracheal autotransplantation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of tracheal autotransplantation for reconstruction of the hemilaryngectomy defect that includes the hemicricoid cartilage and results from resection of laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer. DESIGN: The clinical records of 28 patients undergoing primary or salvage hemicrico-hemilaryngectomy for laryngeal (26 patients) and pyriform sinus (2 patients) cancer were analyzed for function and local control. SETTING: Academic center. PATIENTS: Case series review of 28 consecutive patients treated during a 3(1/2)-year period who had an average follow-up period of 19 months. INTERVENTION: Twenty-five men and 3 women, aged from 28 to 79 years, underwent a hemilaryngectomy that included the hemicricoid cartilage, the ipsilateral thyroid lobe, and a unilateral or bilateral lymph node dissection. In 26 patients, these extensive defects were reconstructed with a tracheal autotransplantation that restored the larynx at the glottic and subglottic levels. In 2 patients, the defect was converted into a total laryngectomy because of tumor extension beyond the resection margins of a hemicrico-hemilaryngectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The times to decannulation and retake of full oral feeding, the quality of speech, and the incidence and site of recurrent cancer were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 26 patients undergoing tracheal autotransplantation, 24 were decannulated and all regained the ability to maintain nutrition by mouth. Ultimate voice quality was "subnormal" to "moderately hoarse" in all patients. Five recurrences developed of which 2 were treated with total laryngectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Functional reconstruction of extensive laryngeal defects can be achieved with an autotransplantation of cervical trachea, with favorable functional results and acceptable morbidity. This technique expands the limits of conservation surgery for selected laryngeal and hypopharyngeal tumors.

Adult↗

Indications for tracheotomy in the pediatric intensive care unit population: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To define the indications for tracheotomy in patients requiring prolonged intubation (>1 week) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). DESIGN: Retrospective chart review and follow-up telephone survey. SETTING: A tertiary care center PICU. OUTCOME MEASURE: Tracheotomy or extubation. PATIENTS: All patients older than 30 days in the PICU intubated for longer than 1 week between 1997 and 1999. RESULTS: During the study, 63 total admissions required intubation for longer than 1 week. A tracheotomy was necessary in 14% of admissions (n = 9). The mean length of intubation before the tracheotomy was 424 hours, whereas the mean length of intubation without the need for tracheotomy was 386 hours. Length of intubation, age, and number of intubations did not increase the probability of having a tracheotomy. Of those requiring a tracheotomy, 2 had tracheomalacia, 1 had subglottic edema, 1 had plastic bronchitis, 1 had Down syndrome with apnea resulting in right heart failure, 3 required long-term ventilation after cardiopulmonary collapse, and 1 had mitochondrial cytopathy. Of these 9 children, 7 were successfully decannulated, 1 patient died of underlying disease, and 1 patient remained cannulated secondary to the mitochondrial cytopathy. Twenty families of the patients who did not undergo a tracheotomy were reached by telephone after discharge. Most of the families reported that their children were free of stridor and hoarseness after extubation. CONCLUSIONS: Children tolerate prolonged intubation without laryngeal complications. The consideration for tracheotomy in the PICU setting must be highly individualized for each child.

Airway Obstruction↗

Vagus nerve stimulator implantation in children.

BACKGROUND: Vagus nerve stimulation was approved in 1997 as an adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures refractory to medical therapy. Subsequent to the initial clinical trials, few studies have been published specifically addressing perioperative management issues. OBJECTIVES: To review the operative technique and perioperative management of patients undergoing vagus nerve stimulator implantation and to analyze complications and their management. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review and survey of patients who underwent implantation. SETTING: A tertiary care pediatric hospital in Kansas City, Mo. PATIENTS: One hundred two patients aged 21 months to 40 years. INTERVENTION: Vagus nerve stimulator implantation and lead placement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The surgical technique of vagus nerve stimulator implantation is presented in detail. Perioperative complications are enumerated, and strategies for their management are described. A subjective patient survey addresses some quality-of-life issues and the effect on swallowing and voice. RESULTS: One hundred two patients successfully underwent vagus nerve stimulator implantation. Three patients experienced infection of the chest wound holding the generator and required explantation. These 3 patients underwent reimplantation within 2 months after the infection had cleared. Most patients experience some degree of hoarseness when the generator is activated, but this symptom usually does not significantly affect the ability to communicate. Responses to questions regarding quality of life are positive. CONCLUSIONS: Vagus nerve stimulator implantation has a low incidence of serious complications. Quality of life seems to be improved for most patients. Modifications to the surgical procedure must be considered when performing the implantation on a young patient.

Adolescent↗

Powered instrumentation in the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis: an alternative to the carbon dioxide laser.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the advantages of powered instrumentation vs the carbon dioxide laser in treating patients with juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS: Patients operated on for juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2000. Papillomas were excised using the microdebrider in one group and the carbon dioxide laser in the second group. INTERVENTIONS: Direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy, suspension microlaryngoscopy, and excision of papillomas by the carbon dioxide laser or the microdebrider. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Operative time and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Seventy-three operations were performed (23 with the laser and 50 with the microdebrider). Sixteen patients were included, 10 with active disease and 5 with disease in remission; 1 was lost to follow-up. They had a mean age of 3.75 years, and the male-female ratio was 7:9. The patients presented mostly with hoarseness (13 [81%]). Four (25%) had soft tissue complications with the laser. The microdebrider was less time-consuming than the laser, although those treated with the microdebrider had more active disease. No factor could be used to measure treatment outcome due to disease variability. Those who were older, female, and African American tended to have less severe manifestations of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The microdebrider proved to be less time-consuming than the carbon dioxide laser when used in patients with juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Soft tissue complications were nonexistent. In addition to safety, the microdebrider is more appealing to the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and parents, especially because these children often need subsequent surgical procedures.

Bronchoscopy↗

Transcricothyroid, intraoperative monitoring of the vagus nerve.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a reliable, user-friendly, intraoperative, electromyographic monitoring technique to decrease the incidence of injury to the recurrent and superior laryngeal nerves. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, clinical trial of a nerve monitoring technique. SETTING: Private tertiary care community hospital. PATIENTS: A population-based sample of 31 patients scheduled to undergo thyroid surgery was enrolled consecutively. Included in the study were patients older than 18 years who were scheduled for surgery and who were able to provide informed consent. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, implanted metallic devices, and history of laryngeal surgery, injury, paresis, hoarseness, or paralysis. No patients were excluded, and all completed the study and returned for follow-up visits. INTERVENTIONS: Twenty-nine patients required total thyroidectomy, of which 10 involved malignancy, and the other 2 patients required lobectomy. Each patient completed the Voice Handicap Index and underwent a preoperative fiberoptic laryngeal examination. Continuous monitoring was performed using a widely available, commercial nerve integrity monitor and a paired electrode placed into the cricothyroid space under direct vision. Postoperatively, participants completed a follow-up Voice Handicap Index survey and underwent a laryngeal examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of vocal paresis, or paralysis, and the preoperative and postoperative voice handicap score were recorded. The usefulness of the device based on the surgeon's subjective and immediate postoperative impressions was rated on a visual analog scale. RESULTS: Sixty-two recurrent laryngeal nerves were identified with continuous electromyographic monitoring. Vocal cord paresis or paralysis was not observed. Postoperative Voice Handicap Index scores were unchanged from preoperative assessment. The technique was given a rating of 1 (most useful) on a 5-point scale in 70% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The technique described is sensitive, easy to use, accurate, and associated with a high degree of surgeon satisfaction. This technique is not associated with additional risk to the patient and offers the potential to reduce injury. Monitoring provides assurance that the nerve is intact and functioning prior to extubation.

Adolescent↗

Pathologic findings in gouty cricoarytenoid arthritis.

The clinical manifestations of cricarytenoid joint gouty arthritis have been previously reported. They include hoarseness, dysphagia, and dysphonia. Exacerbation of gouty laryngeal arthritis can accompany multiple joint involvement or appear as a single joint manifestation. The development of laryngeal symptoms in the patient with arthritix calls for prompt indirect laryngoscopy. The phonatory and sphincteric functions of the larynx are severely altered by limited cricoarytenoid joint fixations.

Aged↗

Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the larynx.

Plasmacytomas, indistinguishable histologically from plasma cell tumors arising in bone marrow, occur almost anywhere in the body-usually independently of multiple myeloma. Thus, they represent an isolated area of plasmacytic dyscrasia but occasionally can be the first evidence of multiple myeloma. From 1949 to 1974, six patients with solitary extramedullary plasmacytomas of the larynx were seen at the Mayo Clinic; during this period, approximately 3,100 patients with malignant laryngeal neoplasms were examined. For these six patients, the median age was 53 years (range, 32 to 63 years). The first symptom in five patients was hoarseness (mean duration, nine months). Excision, electrocoagulation, irradiation, or some combination of these constituted effective therapy. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 25 years. The choice of therapy depends on the size, shape, and location of the tumor. Extensive surgery is rarely necessary.

Adult↗

Cricoarytenoid arthritis in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis.

A 50-year-old woman with a 27-year history of ankylosing spondylitis developed cricoarytenoid joint arthritis that was indicated by hoarseness, sore throat, and vocal cord fixation. This unusual manifestation of ankylosing spondylitis responded to treatment with moderate doses of prednisone, but it recurred when the cortiocosteroid therapy was discontinued.

Arthritis↗

Multiple epiglottic cysts.

A 66-year-old man had five cystic lesions of the epiglottis, which were discovered at autopsy. He had complained of hoarseness and dysphagia, but no laryngeal examination was performed because of his terminal condition due to widespread adenocarcinoma that did not involve the larynx. To our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of multiple laryngeal ductal cysts. To develop a concept of the pathogenesis of these cysts, the normal salivary gland-duct epithelial histologic characteristics were studied in 17 epiglottises that were obtained from children and adults at autopsy. We conclude that the cysts arise from the collecting ducts rather than the smaller interlobular or intralobular ducts.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Thorium dioxide granuloma of the neck with resultant fatal hemorrhage.

A 46-year-old man had a granuloma in the neck that was caused by extravasation of thorium dioxide (Thorotrast) by an angiographic procedure performed about 30 years previously. His chief complaints were dysphagia and dyspnea with mild hoarseness. Parital resection of the tumor was performed, but his symptoms were not ameliorated. The immediate postoperative course was unfavorable. The patient died four months after the operation from massive hemorrhages from the right common carotid artery.

Carotid Arteries↗

Vocal rehabilitation by a tracheopharyngeal shunt.

Vocal rehabilitation by a new one-stage tracheopharyngeal (TP) shunt procedure was done in eight laryngectomies. The procedure is summarized as follows. The horizontal parallel and a vertical lateral skin incision are made in the anterior part of the neck, and the medially and laterally based flaps are made. After laryngectomy, the TP tunnel is created with the medially based flap, and a functioning sphnicter is created by the thyropharyngeus muscle at the pharyngeal opening of the TP tunnel. The cervical defect is closed by the laterally based flap. Two patients experienced minor aspiration, and two had stenosis of the TP tunnel. The quality of the voice is hoarse and similar in quality to that produced by the Asai laryngoplasty.

Aged↗

Fetal rhabdomyoma of the larynx.

A patient had fetal cellular rhabdomyoma of the larynx confirmed histologically and by electron microscopy. The literature on laryngeal rhabdomyomas is reviewed. Adult and fetal rhabdomyomas demonstrate no clinical differences in the larynx, unlike rhabdomyomas described elsewhere in the body. Most patients are middle-aged men with less than three years' history of hoarseness. The diagnosis is established pathologically by using routine histologic criteria, special stains, and electron microscopy. Treatment consists of local surgical excision. The tumors rarely recur.

Adult↗

Laryngeal candidiasis. Report of seven cases and review of the literature.

Although infections due to Candida have become increasingly recognized in recent years, laryngeal candidiasis remains a poorly described and infrequently diagnosed manifestation of mucous membrane candidal infection. Seven cases of isolated laryngeal candidiasis (ILC) have been identified at our institution during the past eight years (one before and six after death). Clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic findings from those seven cases, as well as from 12 additional cases reported in the literature, are reviewed. When hoarseness and dysphagia occur in patients with significant underlying disease who are receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobic therapy, a diagnosis of ILC should be considered. The diagnostic procedure of choice is indirect laryngoscopy with specimens submitted for culture and histopathologic study. On confirmation of the diagnosis, amphotericin B is the recommended therapy. Early treatment may limit morbidity and prevent systemic candidal dissemination.

Adult↗