Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D J McFerran.
Polycystic disease of salivary glands is a rare condition which hitherto has been reported only in the parotid glands. We report a case in which an accessory salivary gland had evidence of polycystic disease.
The case records and histology of 34 patients with vocal process granulomata were reviewed. The five patients presenting most recently with idiopathic vocal process granulomata were investigated by axial computerized tomography (CT). Increased density of the arytenoid cartilage on the side of the lesion was found in all five cases. It is suggested that this indicates cartilage ossification, secondary to perichondritis. This perichondritis, playing either a primary or a secondary role in granuloma development, may explain the annoying tendency of vocal fold granulomata to recur after excision.
Inflatable balloon catheters are widely used in the treatment of severe epistaxis and are designed to be filled either with air or liquid. A postal survey revealed that 87 per cent of respondents used an inflatant which was deemed inappropriate by the manufacturer. When balloons designed for water or saline were filled with air, they deflated rapidly, in some cases being virtually empty after 24 hours. Better and more accessible instruction leaflets are required if the balloons are to be used as intended. Foley catheters are frequently used as nasopharyngeal packs, in conjunction with anterior nasal packs. Paraffin in the commonly used anterior packs damages the rubber of the catheter, resulting in the balloon bursting. This should be recognized by clinicians as a possible cause of rebleeding.
Fifty-nine unusual cerebello-pontine angle tumours have been studied. These lesions represent 19.3 per cent or 1 in 5 of a series of 305 cerebello-pontine angle tumours of which the rest, 246 (80.7 per cent), were acoustic neuromas. An analysis of the relative incidence, histology and presenting clinical features has been carried out. The various radiographical features and imaging techniques used to diagnose these fascinating tumours have been described and also the otoneurosurgical procedures necessary to excise them.
Congenital salivary fistulae are rare and may be associated with abnormalities of the branchial apparatus or arise from aberrant or accessory salivary tissue. Previous case reports have documented cutaneous fistulae. We report a case of a salivary fistula between the submandibular gland and the oropharynx and discuss a possible embryological basis for the abnormality.
This case report describes the clinical course of a patient with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Partial recovery of the lower motor neuron facial palsy was associated with decreased hearing and a reduction of the middle ear compliance on voluntary contraction of the facial musculature. It is suggested that this is due to misdirection of regenerating nerve fibres, normally destined for facial muscles, to stapedius muscle.
The temporal bone may be involved by primary or secondary neoplasms. The latter are uncommon but well documented in the literature, the usual primary sites being breast, kidney, lung, stomach, larynx and prostate (Schuknecht et al., 1968). Lymphoma rarely invades the temporal bone and is usually confined to the lymphoreticular system and gastrointestinal tract. A case of non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the temporal bone is presented.
Two cases of infratentorial arteriovenous malformations that were occult to angiography but detected by computed tomography are discussed. In both cases a preoperative diagnosis of low-grade glioma was considered. Attention is drawn to the relative paucity of such lesions below the tentorium.