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Objectives: To compare the use of computed tomography - positron emission tomography and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging for the staging of head and neck cancer., Patients and Methods: From January to July 2009, 15 consecutive head and neck cancer patients (11 men and four women; mean age 59 years; age range 19 to 81 years) underwent computed tomography - positron emission tomography and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging for pre-therapeutic evaluation. All scans were staged, as per the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumour-node-metastasis classification, by two blinded consultant radiologists, in two sittings. Diagnoses were confirmed by histopathological examination of endoscopic biopsies, and in some cases whole surgical specimens., Results: Tumour staging showed a 74 per cent concordance, node staging an 80 per cent concordance and metastasis staging a 100 per cent concordance, comparing the two imaging modalities., Conclusion: This study found radiological staging discordance between the two imaging modalities. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging is an emerging staging modality with superior visualisation of metastatic disease, which does not require exposure to ionising radiation.

Objectives: Considerable controversy exists regarding the merits of elective neck dissection in patients with early stage oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. It is highly desirable to have a method of identifying those patients who would benefit from further treatment of the neck when they are clinically node-negative. The purpose of the present study was to examine the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in identifying occult neck disease in a cohort of patients with node-negative oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma., Design: We evaluated a total of 13 patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer who were clinically and radiologically node-negative., Results: A sentinel lymph node was found in all 13 patients, revealing metastatic disease in five patients, four of whom had one or more positive sentinel lymph nodes. There was one false negative result, in which the sentinel lymph node was negative for tumour whereas histological examination of the neck dissection specimen showed occult disease., Conclusion: In view of these findings, we would recommend the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in cases of oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, in order to aid the differentiation of those patients whose necks are harbouring occult disease and who require further treatment.

Introduction: The study sought to compare and contrast squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anterior mobile tongue with SCC of the tongue base, with emphasis on clinical presentation, management and outcome., Methods: This was a retrospective, comparative analysis of patients treated for SCC of the tongue over a 10-year period. Cox's regression model was used to assess the effect of tumour site on survival., Results: The study included 142 patients, of whom 86 were treated for SCC of the anterior tongue and 56 for tongue base lesions. Patients with carcinoma of the anterior tongue tended to present with a visible lump or ulceration of the tongue, whereas the majority of patients with tongue base SCC presented with pain. Sixty per cent of anterior tongue lesions were early stage (I or II) at initial presentation as compared with 21 per cent of tongue base lesions., Conclusion: Patients with anterior tongue lesions had a better prognosis, but this was not statistically significant when adjusted for stage.

The goals of tympanoplasty in children include improvement in hearing, prevention of ear infections, and elimination of the need for water precautions. However, tympanoplasty in children is a controversial subject. In the present study the outcome of tympanoplasty in children is examined with regard to its success in achieving these goals and to the level of parental satisfaction with its outcome. Fifty-four children undergoing 62 tympanoplasties at our institution were included in the study. The surgical success rate was 72.5 per cent. Fifty per cent of parents reported that their child's hearing had improved (p = 0.181 for association with surgical success), 78 per cent reported a decrease in ear infections (p = 0.023), 45 per cent reported their child to be participating in activities previously refrained from (p = 0.003), and 79 per cent of parents were satisfied with the overall surgical outcome (p<0.001). Our findings show that successful tympanoplasty my confer benefits on children and may help guide parents' expectations of the surgery.

We report on a family exhibiting a range of congenital anomalies consistent with the G syndrome of Opitz. Three members of the family had laryngo-tracheo-oesophageal clefts, one of which succumbed. There was a strong family history of perinatal mortality on the maternal side of the family. We note also the paucity of reported cases of this syndrome in the otolaryngological literature and stress the necessity of early diagnosis in the management.