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Dražen Shejbal,1 Davor Vagic, 2 Siniša Stevanovic, 3 Elvira Koic, 4 Livije Kalogjera21Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Pakrac City Hospital, Pakrac, Croatia; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Sisters of Mercy Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; 3Division of Otorhinolaryngology, 4Division of Psychiatry, Virovitica General Hospital, Virovitica, CroatiaBackground: Severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), measured by disease-specific health-related quality-of-life questionnaires, is expected to increase in patients who also suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Altered pain perception, sleep disorders, and fatigue may be associated with this comorbidity.Methods: Severity of CRS was compared between a group of 28 patients with CRS and a group of 28 patients with CRS and concomitant PTSD using different disease-specific and generic instruments, such as visual analog scale (VAS), Short Form-36 test (SF-36), and Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT 22).Results: SNOT-22 test showed significantly higher CRS severity in patients with CRS and PTSD, compared to patients with CRS without PTSD.Conclusion: Patients with less severe CRS, measured by objective outcome measures, due to the impact of comorbid PTSP, are classified as having severe rhinosinusitis, and are exposed to the risk of unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In patients with difficult-to-treat rhinosinusitis, diagnosis should be revised, and one item that should be evaluated is whether they suffer from PTSD.Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic rhinosinusitis, quality of life

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of systemic inflammatory indices as factors for postoperative complications and survival in patients with advanced stages of p16-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing free-flap reconstruction., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The primary predictor variables were inflammatory markers such as neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, derived NLR, systemic immune-inflammatory index, and systemic inflammatory marker index (SIM). Multivariate regression analyses were used to measure the associations between systemic inflammatory indices and overall and disease-free survival as a primary outcome and occurrence of postoperative complications as a secondary outcome measure., Results: The sample was composed of 69 male (76.67%) and 21 female (23.33%) patients, with an average age of 61.15 ± 9.79 years. The median follow-up time was 24 months, and 73 of 91 (66.43%) patients were alive during the median follow-up. Overall disease survival correlated with systemic immune-inflammation (P = .022, cutoff >1,005.3, sensitivity 67.1%, and specificity 70.6%) and SIM (P = .0001, cutoff >4.05, sensitivity 90.4%, and specificity 41.2%), preoperative platelets (P = .036, cutoff <194, sensitivity 28.8%, and specificity 94.1%), and postoperative lymphocytes (P = .012, cutoff <0.6, sensitivity 38%, and specificity 76.5%), whereas increased SIM (P = .042, cutoff >4.05, sensitivity 91.3%, and specificity 38.1%), NLR (P = .031, cutoff >13.2, sensitivity 56.9%, and specificity 60%), and preoperative platelets (P = .006, cutoff <244, sensitivity 52.3%, and specificity 76%) were associated with adverse disease-free survival. The cumulative postoperative complication rate was 34.5%, of which 13.3% accounted for major complications, whereas derived NLR (P = .013, degrees of freedom 1, χ 2 test 6.161, cutoff >2.3) and postoperative lymphocytes (P = .009, DF 1, χ 2 test 6.756, cutoff <1) correlated with occurrence of complications., Conclusions: Inflammatory indices as measures of inflammation-related systemic dysfunction may be associated with adverse survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and occurrence of postoperative complications and with specific cutoff values., (Copyright © 2021 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Indolent nature but a high incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) remains a challenge for optimizing patient care. Therefore, prognostic factors present valuable information for determining an adequate clinical approach. Methods: This study assessed prognostic features of 1167 papillary (PTC) and 215 follicular (FTC) thyroid cancer patients that had undergone surgery between 1962 and 2012, and were followed-up up to 50 years in a single institution, till April 2020. Age, gender, tumor size, presence of local and distant metastases at presentation, extrathyroidal extension, disease recurrence, and cancer-specific survival were evaluated. Results: In multivariate analysis, factors affecting the worse outcome were age (p = 0.005), tumor size (p = 0.006), and distant metastases (p = 0.001) in PTC, while extrathyroidal extension (p < 0.001), neck recurrence (p = 0.002), and distant metastases (p < 0.001) in FTC patients. Loco-regional recurrence rate was 6% for PTC and 4.7% for FTC patients, while distant metastases were detected in 4.2% PTC and 14.4% of FTC patients. The 10-year cancer-specific survival rates for PTC and FTC were 98.6% and 89.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Negative prognostic factors, besides distant metastases, were older age and greater tumor size in PTC, and extrathyroidal extension and neck recurrence in FTC patients. The recurrence and mortality rates were very low.

Abstract: The rationale and outcomes for reconstruction of complex maxillectomy and midfacial defects using a folded multi-island vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous free flap (MI-VRAM) are analyzed in this study.A retrospective review of prospectively collected database was conducted on all VRAM free flaps used in head and neck reconstruction from 2013 to 2019. A total of 39 cases were identified, of which 21 patients underwent immediate VRAM flap reconstruction for complex maxillectomy and midfacial defects. Variables including age, sex, pathologic subtypes, tumor staging, type of resection, defect classification, adjuvant therapy, complications, follow-up time, and reconstructive details were collected.Single skin-island VRAM was used in 10 (47.6%) patients. Eleven (52.4%) patients required the use of folded MI-VRAM flap. In 6 (28.6%) patients a triple skin-island VRAM was used and 5 (23.8%) received a double skin-island VRAM. The average size of harvested skin paddle was 15 × 7.2 cm. Secondary flap contouring was required in 6 (28.6%) patients. There were no cases of total flap loss and no major donor site complications recorded.Folded MI-VRAM flap is a reliable method for reconstruction of complex maxillectomy and midfacial defects. It provides multiple independent skin islands with excellent plasticity and abundant volume of tissue for restoration of facial contours., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Objective: There is no clear cut-off value of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) or calcium in which patients are at risk for hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy. We evaluated the usefulness of serum calcium and PTH concentration measurements after total thyroidectomy in predicting late-occurring hypocalcemia., Design: A prospective, single-center, non-randomized longitudinal cohort study of 143 patients undergoing thyroidectomy between August 2019 and December 2019 with serum calcium and PTH levels sampled 1 h after surgery and on the first and fifth postoperative day. Hypocalcemia was defined as serum calcium levels < 2.14 mmol/L regardless of clinical symptoms. Normal PTH range was 1.6-6.9 pmol/L., Measurements: The primary outcome measure was presence of hypocalcemia on the first and fifth postoperative day, analyzed by a logistic regression model. The PTH cut-off value for prediction of hypocalcemia was identified using a ROC curve comparing all three time points using the Youden J index., Results: Out of 143 patients, 52 (36.4%) had hypocalcemia on the fifth postoperative day. Advanced age, concomitant neck dissection and serum PTH levels < 2.9 pmol/L 1 h after surgery and on the first postoperative surgery day were associated with a high risk of hypocalcemia on the first and fifth postoperative day and need for higher doses of calcium supplements (P < 0.0001, AUC 0.748, 95% CI 0.669-0.817, with 76.92% sensitivity and 71.43% specificity)., Conclusion: Serum PTH level measured immediately postoperatively and on the first postoperative day is a reliable predictor of postoperative hypocalcemia with important clinical implications., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study analyzed associations between preoperative nutritional status and the incidence of early postoperative complications as a primary outcome in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer undergoing free flap reconstruction. We hypothesized that preoperative nutritional status may be linked with specific complications, allowing for better preoperative risk assessment., Patients and Methods: This longitudinal, retrospective cohort study encompassed 113 patients, all treated surgically for oral and oropharyngeal cancer in the period from March 2013 up to March 2018 in a tertiary referral center. Variables considered were preoperative and postoperative serum albumin and protein values; body mass index; waist-to-hip ratio; circumference of the neck, waist, hip, and thigh; number of cigarettes smoked per day during the 10-year period before surgery; average alcohol consumption; operative time; and postoperative albumin administration., Results: Our study identified preoperative protein serum concentration (≤62 g/L), postoperative albumin administration (≥200 mL), number of cigarettes smoked per day (>20), and prolonged operative time (≥450 minutes) to be associated with postoperative complications., Conclusions: This is the first study reporting cutoff values of clinical significance in assessing patient preoperative nutritional status in light of reducing postoperative complications after free flap reconstruction., (Copyright © 2019 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To evaluate the possible differences in self-reported symptoms between patients with chronic odontogenic rhinosinusitis (CORS) and patients with chronic non-odontogenic rhinosinusitis (CnORS)., Materials and Methods: The study included 64 patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis according to EPOS guidelines. 32 patients had CORS, and the control group were 32 patients with CnORS. Patients were matched according to gender and age. All the patients underwent a CT scan evaluated by a radiologist, and were evaluated by an oral surgeon and otorhinolaryngologist before being assigned to one of the groups. The severity of the symptoms was assessed through questioners SNOT-22 (sino-nasal outcome test) and VAS (visual analogue scale) symptom score. Kolmogorov-Smirnov's, Fisher's and Mann-Whitney U test were used in the statistical analysis of the data., Results: People with CORS show similar symptomatology on SNOT-22 score to patients with CnORS, with no significant statistical difference between any of the SNOT-22 symptoms. VAS symptom score showed that odontogenic group had a significantly higher score for fever (p = .004) and halitosis (p = .003)., Conclusion: Halitosis and fever might be the most important symptoms in differentiating between CORS and CnORS symptomatology. Better diagnostic tools, such as VAS symptom score might help medical professionals to be quicker at recognizing CORS specific symptomatology, and help them treat the disease as early and adequately as possible., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A neck mass has a broad and complex differential diagnosis, generally divided into neoplastic, congenital and inflammatory categories. An internal carotid artery hemorrhage with pseudoaneurysm formation is a very rare entity that may resemble other common conditions in the differential diagnosis. Large, expanding or symptomatic pseudoaneurysm is critical to efficiently diagnose and manage, due to risk of life-threatening hemorrhage. We present a case of an adult male patient with clinical and laboratory signs of severe neck cellulitis and a large gradually increasing neck mass, primarily suggestive of an abscess. Neck CT and MRI imaging revealed the presence of a disruption of the internal carotid artery resulting in a large hematoma and formation of pseudoaneurysm. A multidisciplinary team of interventional radiologists and ENT surgeons successfully treated the patient by endovascular placement of stents and subsequent surgical drainage. Awareness of such a rare, life-threatening condition and efficient multidisciplinary teamwork are essential for patient management., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

- There are several options for hypopharyngeal reconstruction depending on defect size. Reconstructive options include primary closure, local flaps, regional axial flaps or regional intestinal flaps, and free flap transfer with skin or intestinal free flaps. The preferred method of reconstruction should minimize early postoperative complications that prolong hospital stay and/or become life threatening, ensure early restoration of function and decrease donor site morbidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate functional outcomes of different flap reconstruction methods in type II hypopharyngeal defects. In this non-randomized retrospective cohort study, data on 31 (27 male and four female) patients were collected over a 10-year period of single institution type II hypopharyngeal defect reconstructions. The following measures of functional outcome were extracted from patient medical histories: postoperative complications (flap failure, fistula formation, donor site related complications), hospital stay in days and swallowing function after 14 days, 1 month and 6 months. There were nine patients in the radial forearm free flap (RFFF) reconstruction group, seven in the jejunum reconstruction group, and 15 in the gastric tube reconstruction group. In the RFFF group, three patients experienced flap failure; in the jejunal transfer group, no donor site morbidity was observed; whereas three patients from the gastric tube reconstruction group had minor abdominal skin wound dehiscence. Out of the 3 different reconstructive methods, RFFF was most likely to fail. The mean duration of hospital stay was 22.6 days, being shortest in the RFFF group. There were no significant differences in early postoperative swallowing function among the groups. The choice of flap used for hypopharynx reconstruction should be driven by donor site factors and functional outcomes. When assessing type II hypopharyngeal defect reconstruction results, the findings of this study suggest that free jejunal flaps and gastric tubes offer superior functional results in comparison with RFFFs.

Chronic orofacial pain occurs frequently in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and at the same time any pathological process involving orofacial area can be reflected in emotional interpretation of pain and can trigger a series of reactions associated with the PTSD group of symptoms in patients with PTSD. Painful stimuli caused in this way may occur after the primary cause ceased, and because of convergence can cause referred pain outside of the anatomical site where the primary injury occurred. Chronic orofacial pain and PTSD are diagnosed on the basis of subjective testimony and this regularly occurs in the context of social interaction between patients, doctors, medical staff or researchers making it difficult to standardize the results and introduces many cultural phenomena.

The purpose of this study was to investigate a hypothesized correlation of development of a sensorineural hearing loss and radiotherapy in patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma. This prospective study included a total of 50 patients, which after strict exclusion critera (audiologic problems before RT primary tumors of the auditory system, spread of the primary tumor to any part of the auditory system) resulted in 23 analyzed patients, ranging between 50 and 76 years of age, with a mean age of 60. Audiometry measuring frequency-specific thresholds was performed in three time points: one month before radiotherapy, one and six months after radiotherapy. A significant statistical difference in hearing tresholds after radiotherapy was found in 6 out of 23 patients. An obvious tendency towards hearing loss without statistical significance at 250 and 4000 Hz was found for a whole tested population (p < or = 0.3 with Bonferroni correction). Observed tendency towards hearing loss after radiotherapy of laryngeal carcinoma was related to side of the tumor and less severe when chemotherapy was not added as adjuvant therapy. These results should help to decrease a rate of hearing loss by careful planing of ear protection, by using observed frequencies as relevant markers of hearing loss and by reconsidering adjuvant chemoterapy during radiotherapy of laryngeal carcinoma.

The impact of bacterial colonization on the severity and pattern of chronic inflammation in rhinosinusitis is not clear. In this study, it was hypothesized that bacterial colonization of the sinus mucosa would have a greater impact on inflammatory response modulation in asthmatic patients than in non-asthmatic patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. In order to test this hypothesis, granulocyte activation was measured and related to bacteria identified in the sinus lavage. Lavages from the maxillary sinuses of 21 asthmatic and 19 non-asthmatic patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) were microbiologically examined for aerobic and anaerobic growth. Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), an eosinophil activation marker, and myeloperoxidase (MPO), a neutrophil activation marker, were measured in the sinus lavages. Bacteria were recovered in 20/32 samples from the asthmatics and in 21/33 samples from the non-asthmatics. Gram-positive aerobes and anaerobes were slightly more common than Gram-negative bacteria. A different bacterial profile was found when comparing Gram-negatives between the groups. Concentrations of MPO were significantly higher in samples with bacterial recovery from asthmatic patients, compared to sterile samples of both groups. Concentrations of ECP in the samples from asthmatic patients were significantly higher than in the controls, with no significant difference related to bacterial colonization. Bacterial colonization in chronically inflamed sinuses may have an impact on neutrophil granulocyte activation in patients with bronchial asthma, which was not confirmed for patients with CRS without asthma.

Objective: To estimate the predictable value of histopathologic parameters in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) for response to endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS)., Study Design: Symptomatology was rated in 100 patients prior to as well as 12 and 24 months after surgery. Specimens taken during the procedure were examined and scored for goblet cells, subepithelial thickening, mast cells, and eosinophils. Multiple regression analysis was performed to predict the total score of subjective symptoms before treatment by histopathologic parameters. The correlation between histopathologic parameters and postoperative symptoms was then evaluated., Results: Goblet cells were the best predictor correlating with 5 symptoms. Subepithelial thickening correlated with 4 symptoms. Mast cell infiltration correlated with 3 symptoms. Eosinophilic infiltration correlated with only one symptom (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Certain histopathologic parameters in CRS are predictive of favorable response to ESS., Significance: Pathologic evaluation may help the ENT surgeon to predict the persistence of certain CRS symptoms after ESS, even in patients at low risk for surgical failure., Ebm Rating: C-4.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of topical endosinusal treatment in terms of reduction in activation of inflammatory cells and asthma/rhinosinusitis symptoms in patients with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)., Material and Methods: Eighteen mild-to-moderate asthmatics with CRS were subjected to antral sinoscopy and endosinusal treatment with 2 mg of dexamethasone and 40 mg of gentamicin per maxillary sinus for 7 days. Sinus lavage and serum samples were taken before and after the treatment and bacteriological swabs from the sinuses were taken at the time of inclusion in the study. Subjective scores for CRS symptoms and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were tested at inclusion and after 30 days. Levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), tryptase and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were analyzed in serum and sinus fluid before and after the treatment., Results: ECP and tryptase levels were significantly reduced in both serum and sinus fluid, but serum MPO did not show significant changes after the treatment. MPO in sinus lavage was reduced only in moderate asthmatics. Subjective scores for CRS and FEV1 were significantly improved for the whole group. ECP, usually used as a parameter for asthma staging, was mostly affected at the systemic level, whilst tryptase was more markedly reduced at the local level., Conclusion: The topical endosinusal treatment used in this clinical study significantly reduced activation of eosinophils and mastocytes, improved FEV1 and reduced symptoms of CRS in mild-to-moderate asthmatics.