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Biomedical subjects

L Bedrin

Publications and source records attributed to L Bedrin.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Mediastinal dissection in head and neck cancer.

The superior mediastinum contains a considerable number of lymph nodes. Although occasionally involved in head and neck cancer, there are not many reports of mediastinal dissection in the practice of head and neck surgery. We present a group of seven patients with head and neck tumours that underwent mediastinal dissection in our department. Three patients are alive and free of disease six months to three years after the operation, two are alive with disease four and five years after the procedure, and two patients died peri-operatively. According to reviewed current literature, direct invasion of cancer of the head and neck to the mediastinum or mediastinal lymph node involvement is uncommon. Yet, mediastinal dissection provides the only chance for cure in selected cases.

Adult↗

Midline versus paramidline mandibulotomy: a radiological study.

Mandibulotomy allows for wide exposure of deep oral cavity and oropharyngeal tumors and may be performed medial or lateral to the mental foramen. Medial mandibulotomy is divided into midline and paramidline. Midline mandibulotomy requires detachment of muscles which may lead to masticatory and swallowing problems and could potentially jeopardize the central incisors. Our study provides a basis for placement of bone cuts in mandibulotomy. The angles between the long axis of the two central incisors, the lateral incisor and canine bilaterally were measured in panoramic radiographs of 100 healthy patients. The distances between the roots were measured. The angle between the lateral incisor and the canine ranged from 1 degrees to 8 degrees compared to 1 degrees -4 degrees (P<0.001) between the central incisors. The distances between the lateral incisor and the canine were 1-6.2mm while the distances between the two central incisors ranged from 0.5 to 4.7mm (P<0.05). Although the measurements were taken from a younger group of patients compared to the usual age of presentation of oropharyngeal cancer, it shows that the paramidline mandibulotomy in which bony cuts are performed through a wider gap is the preferred approach.

Adolescent↗

Pretreatment prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with head and neck carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism in the normal population age > 60 years is encountered in the range of 0.5-5% clinically, and 5-20% have subclinical hypofunction. Hypothyroidism is recognized as a common complication of treatment in patients with head and neck carcinoma (HNC) and is reported in up to 75% of patients who receive combined treatment. Surprisingly, base-line pretreatment measurements of thyroid function in large series of patients have not been reported. METHODS: Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T4, and total T3 levels were recorded in 110 patients with nonthyroid HNC prior to treatment in a prospective, controlled study. RESULTS: The mean patient age (+/- standard deviation) was 65 years +/- 13.8 years, and 82% of patients had squamous cell carcinoma. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism already was established in 4.5% of patients, and subclinical hypothyroidism was discovered in an additional 6.4% of patients. Sixteen patients had other equivocal anomalies in thyroid function and were referred for further endocrine evaluation. No patients with formerly unrecognized clinical hypothyroidism were found. CONCLUSIONS: Hypothyroidism in patients with head and neck carcinoma in Israel corresponds with the reported incidence in the general population. Hypothyroidism after treatment for head and neck carcinoma stems from the effects of treatment. The need for pretreatment evaluation of thyroid function should be considered.

Adult↗

Upper jugular lymph nodes (submuscular recess) in non-squamous-cell cancer of the head and neck: surgical considerations.

Cervical lymphadenectomy of level II encompasses lymph nodes associated with the upper internal jugular vein and the spinal accessory nerve (SAN). Removal of tissue superior to the SAN (submuscular recess-(SMR)) was recently shown to be unwarranted in selected cases of squamous-cell cancer. Thirty-five patients with non-squamous-cell cancer (SCC) of the head and neck treated with cervical lymphadenectomy were prospectively evaluated. Thirty-seven neck dissection specimens were histologically analysed for the number of lymph nodes involved with cancer. At the time of surgery, level II was separated into the supraspinal accessory nerve component (IIa) and the component anterior to the SAN (IIb). Neck dissections were most commonly performed for cancer of the thyroid gland (19) followed in frequency by the parotid gland (seven), skin: melanoma (five), basal-cell cancer (two), and other sites (four). Twenty-five neck dissections were modified-selective procedures and 12 were either radical or modified radical neck dissection. Twenty-nine necks were clinically N+ and eight N0. Histological staging was pathologically N+ in 32 neck dissection specimens. Level IIb contained an average of 12 nodes and the IIa component contained a mean of 5.0 nodes. Level II contained metastatic disease in 28 of 32 histologically node-positive specimens (87 per cent). Level IIa was involved with cancer in six cases (16 per cent), five of which were pre-operatively staged as clinically N+. All cases (100 per cent) with level IIa involvement had level IIb positive nodes. Three of the level IIa positive cases were cancer of the parotid gland comprising 43 per cent of this sub-group of patients. Incidence of involvement of SMR in non-SCC cases is not uncommon. The additional time required and morbidity associated with dissection of the supraspinal accessory nerve component of level II are probably justified when performing neck dissection in cancer of the thyroid gland. The SMR should be excised in cancer of the parotid gland. Large-scale prospective controlled studies with long-term follow-up periods are necessary to support resection of level IIb only.

Adolescent↗

Second primary cancer of the larynx in patients with lung cancer.

Synchronous or metachronous second primary malignancies of the lung are sometimes encountered in patients with laryngeal cancer while the occurrence of a laryngeal second primary following cancer of the lung is rare. A two-armed study was conducted. A prospective arm in which the larynges of 56 terminal lung cancer patients were examined, and a retrospective arm incorporating both a chart study of 126 terminal head and neck cancer patients (HNCP) and a computerized search of all hospital records of patients with laryngeal and lung cancers. No laryngeal malignancy was found in the lung cancer patients' group and no antedating pulmonary malignancy was recorded in the terminal HNCP. The computerized search of 1778 lung cancer patients and 213 laryngeal cancer patients also failed to demonstrate cases where the former preceded the latter. In conclusion. No second primary of the larynx was found in lung cancer patients. These results compare with reports of large databases where cancer of the larynx was found in a negligible percentage of lung cancer survivors and theories explaining this are discussed.

Aged↗

Auricular reconstruction with a postauricular myocutaneous island flap: flip-flop flap.

Surgical defects of the concha-helix part of the ear larger than 2 cm may pose a reconstructive challenge. Split- or full-thickness skin grafts or local flaps may be used, and a number of these have been described. Yet cosmetic results are often unsatisfactory. Our experience with a postauricular myocutaneous island flap is described. Eleven patients (12 ears), aged 48 to 89 years, underwent the procedure under local anesthesia following excision of conchal bowl malignant tumors that included the cartilage underlying the skin. The surgical technique is described in detail. Few complications were encountered, and cosmetic results were excellent. In four ears, resection margins extended into the ear canal, and that portion was allowed to heal satisfactorily by secondary intention. We recommend the use of this flap for practical, safe, and early good cosmetic results.

Aged↗