Comparison of the Voice Outcome After Injection Laryngoplasty: Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Due to Cancer Nerve Invasion and Iatrogenic Injury

Background and Objectives@#Injection laryngoplasty is a common method for treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Unilateral vocal fold paralysis has various causes, including idiopathic, infection, stroke, neurologic condition, surgery and nerve invasion by cancer. To the knowledge of the authors, there was no study on the relationship between the causes of vocal cord paralysis and the outcome of injection laryngoplasty. Therefore, we tried to investigate the difference in the outcomes of injection laryngoplasty between vocal cord paralysis after surgery group and nerve invasion by cancer group.Materials and Method A retrospective analysis was performed for 24 patients who underwent vocal cord injection due to unilateral vocal cord paralysis caused by surgery or nerve invasion by cancer. The objective quality of the voice was assessed by acoustic voice analysis with the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program. @*Results@#Both group showed an improvement of fundamental frequemcy (F0), jitter percent, shimmer (percent), and noise to hearmonic ratio (NHR) after injection laryngoplasty. The vocal cord paralysis due to nerve invasion group showed more improvement in both the mean and median value of F0, shimmer percent and NHR than the vocal cord paralysis due to surgery group, but there was not statistically significant. @*Conclusion@#Our study did not show a statistically significant difference in outcome between vocal cord paralysis due to cancer invasion group and surgery group, but statistically tendency was suggested. The vocal cord paralysis due to nerve invasion group showed more improvement in both the mean and median value of acoustic voice analysis than surgery group.

A Case of Intrathyroidal Spread of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma / 대한두경부종양학회지

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) typically has a good prognosis, but it frequently metastasizes to the regional lymph nodes. Although survival impact of lymph node metastasis is not clear, complementary treatment is generally added after surgery when lymphatic metastasis exists. Several previous studies have reported that the multifocal PTC is associated with poor prognosis and requires selective neck dissection to prevent regional lymph node metastasis, but they are under controversy. In this study, we present a 24-year-old female patient, diagnosed as PTC with intrathyroidal spread and regional lymph node metastases. Intrathyroidal spread of PTC can only be observed microscopically and is believed to have the similar origin of unicentric multifocal PTC. As multifocal PTC is highly associated with regional lymph node metastasis and requires an additional treatment, PTC with intrathyroidal spread may follow a similar clinical course and treatment plan. Here we report the case with a brief literature review and expect its attribution to further academic interest of treatment choice.

A Case of Intrathyroidal Spread of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma / 대한두경부종양학회지

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) typically has a good prognosis, but it frequently metastasizes to the regional lymph nodes. Although survival impact of lymph node metastasis is not clear, complementary treatment is generally added after surgery when lymphatic metastasis exists. Several previous studies have reported that the multifocal PTC is associated with poor prognosis and requires selective neck dissection to prevent regional lymph node metastasis, but they are under controversy. In this study, we present a 24-year-old female patient, diagnosed as PTC with intrathyroidal spread and regional lymph node metastases. Intrathyroidal spread of PTC can only be observed microscopically and is believed to have the similar origin of unicentric multifocal PTC. As multifocal PTC is highly associated with regional lymph node metastasis and requires an additional treatment, PTC with intrathyroidal spread may follow a similar clinical course and treatment plan. Here we report the case with a brief literature review and expect its attribution to further academic interest of treatment choice.

Comparison of Functional Outcomes after PoweredIntracapsular Tonsillectomy with Adenoidectomy andConventional Extracapsular Tonsillectomy withAdenoidectomy for Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea / 대한이비인후과학회지

Background and Objectives@#This study was investigated to compare the clinical outcomes and complications of powered intracapsular tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (PITA) with those of conventional extracapsular tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (ECTA) in treatment of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Subjects and Method Eighty-one children with adenotonsillar hyperplasia underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (46 PITA and 35 ECTA) from December 2016 to July 2017 for OSA. The choice of surgical procedure (PITA vs. ECTA) was determined by the number of episodes of acute tonsillitis. The quality of life measurement was performed using Korean Obstructive Sleep Apnea Survey (KOSA-18) score. Postoperative bleeding was assessed as number of revisit or readmission. Postoperative pain was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) at postoperative day 1, 3, and 7. @*Results@#PITA and ECTA significantly reduced KOSA-18 scores postoperatively (p＜0.01, p＜0.01, respectively) and were equally effective in pediatric OSA treatment. Postoperative bleeding was lower in the PITA group, but there was no statistical difference due to small number of cases. VAS score for postoperative pain was significantly lower in the PITA group at day 1, 3, and 7 (p=0.03, p＜0.01, and p＜0.01, respectively). @*Conclusion@#PITA is effective in pediatric OSA treatment with less morbidity, and less complications.

A Case of Newly Found Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma in Retropharynx of the Patient Who Had Been in the NED State of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Controversy about the Recurrence of Undiffentiated Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma is a rare subtype of head and neck malignancy. Histologically, it is an undifferentiated carcinoma accompanied by a prominent reactive lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. We report a case of anewly found lymphoepithelial carcinoma in the retropharynx of a patient who had been diagnosed and treated as nasopharyngeal carcinoma with multiple metastasis; the case could not be ruled out as a recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma according to recent World Health Organization pathology guideline.

Two Cases of Transoral Resection of Retropharyngeal Lymph Node Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Diagnosed by PET-CT Follow-Up after Lateral Neck Dissection / 대한이비인후과학회지

The presence of lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma usually occurs in the internal jugular and paratracheal space on the side of the lesion. For this reason, metastasis to the retropharyngeal lymph nodes from papillary thyroid carcinoma is rare. We currently experienced two cases of retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma. Both patients had a history of total thyroidectomy and ipsilateral neck dissection and had undergone retropharyngeal lymph node dissection via transoral approach after the diagnosis of retropharyngeal node metastasis. We suggest that the metastatic retropharyngeal lymph nodes can be successfully removed through transoral apparoach. The diagnosis of this rare lymph node metastasis requires sufficient imaging studies such as MRI, CT or PET-CT as well as appropriate history taking and physical examination.

Study on Assessment and Treatment Patterns of Speech-Language Pathologists in Pediatric Vocal Problem Through Multicenter Survey

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pediatric vocal health problems are relatively common. However, it is not yet well studied whether uniform diagnosis and treatment is done properly in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the methods that the Korean speech therapists use to diagnose and treat pediatric voice problem. MATERIALS AND METHOD: An anonymous online questionnaire was administered to 32 speech language therapists registered at the Korean laryngeal speech linguistics society detailing demographics, employment institution, general management of pediatric patients with vocal problem including assessment and treatment procedures. RESULTS: Current practice patterns were analyzed on 32 speech language therapists providing services in South Korea mostly working at tertiary university hospital. One third of pediatric patients were assessed without proceeding to treatment. One fifth of patients were treated without assessment. Perceptual assessment was the main pre-treatment assessment methods used. Treatment was done in the following order : Voice rest, SOVT, yawn-sigh and resonant voice. Post-treatment evaluation was used in the following order : Instrumental assessment, clinical judgment, and recording comparison. CONCLUSION: Speech language therapists practice in South Korea mostly follows the ASHA practice guidelines. However, there are still great amount of cases in which only the evaluation was done without appropriate treatment. Further research is needed to make SPLs more systematic and efficient for evaluating and treating pediatric vocal patients.

Two Cases of Transoral Resection of Retropharyngeal Lymph Node Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Diagnosed by PET-CT Follow-Up after Lateral Neck Dissection / 대한이비인후과학회지

The presence of lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma usually occurs in the internal jugular and paratracheal space on the side of the lesion. For this reason, metastasis to the retropharyngeal lymph nodes from papillary thyroid carcinoma is rare. We currently experienced two cases of retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma. Both patients had a history of total thyroidectomy and ipsilateral neck dissection and had undergone retropharyngeal lymph node dissection via transoral approach after the diagnosis of retropharyngeal node metastasis. We suggest that the metastatic retropharyngeal lymph nodes can be successfully removed through transoral apparoach. The diagnosis of this rare lymph node metastasis requires sufficient imaging studies such as MRI, CT or PET-CT as well as appropriate history taking and physical examination.

A Case of Newly Found Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma in Retropharynx of the Patient Who Had Been in the NED State of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Controversy about the Recurrence of Undiffentiated Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma is a rare subtype of head and neck malignancy. Histologically, it is an undifferentiated carcinoma accompanied by a prominent reactive lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. We report a case of anewly found lymphoepithelial carcinoma in the retropharynx of a patient who had been diagnosed and treated as nasopharyngeal carcinoma with multiple metastasis; the case could not be ruled out as a recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma according to recent World Health Organization pathology guideline.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma of Cheek: 2 Case Reports / 대한이비인후과학회지

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare aggressive skin cancer with the mortality rate of 33%. MCC was first described by Toker in 1972 as a trabecular cell carcinoma and is classified as a neuroendocrine tumor similar to small cell lung carcinoma and melanoma. The pathogenesis of MCC remains largely unknown. However, ultraviolet radiation and immunosuppression are likely to play a significant pathogenic role. The primary skin lesion is usually asymptomatic and it typically presents as a red or purple dome-shaped nodule. The management of MCC is controversial, however, local wide excision followed by radiotherapy is accepted as the primary treatment modality. The regional draining nodal basin is the most common site for recurrence. Therefore, sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended in all cases, except for the clinically node-negative cases. We herein report two cases of MCC on the left cheek with different clinical manifestations.

Multicenter Evaluation on the Efficacy of N-Acetyl Cystine in Relieving the Symptoms of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is relatively common disease. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) has both mucolytic and antioxidant effect, also may be beneficial in inflammatory airway diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of inhaled NAC therapy in LPRD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 525 LPRD patients at 12 medical centers. Finally 401 patients subjected to inhaled NAC therapy for 2 months were enrolled in the study. We analyzed the change of Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Reflux Finding Score (RFS) after use of NAC for 4 weeks and 8 weeks in addition to the patient's compliance of the treatment. RESULTS: The RSI score significantly decreased from 19.87±6.34 to 12.78±6.93 after 4 weeks and to 10.65±7.47 after 8 weeks. The RFS score also significantly decreased from 9.29±3.4 to 7.17±3.41 after 4 weeks and to 6.1±3.73 after 8 weeks (p<0.05). During the treatment periods, 42 patients (10.4%) reported to have 80 episodes of discomfort. Throat discomfort (33%) and nausea (28%) were most common complaints, but the duration of discomfort was usually less than 4 weeks. CONCLUSION: Inhaled NAC treatment is highly effective for the reduction of both subjective and objective findings in LPRD patients. This study will provide the evidence of new treatment option for patients with LPRD. However, further studies will be needs to assess the real effect of inhaled NAC therapy as a standard treatment regimen of LPRD.

Intramuscular Hemangioma of the Sternocleidomastoid Muscle: An Unusual Neck Mass / 대한이비인후과학회지

Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors in infancy, occurring most often on cutaneous and mucosal surfaces. Although less than 1% of hemangiomas occur in skeletal muscle, 15% of intramuscular hemangiomas arise in the head and neck musculature. Less than 10 cases of the sternocleidomastoid muscle have been reported in the English literatures. The masseter muscle is most commonly involved in the head and neck. Clinically, these tumors are present as distinct, localized, rubbery swelling. Neck computed tomography scan with enhancement may suggest a vascular mass within the muscle while angiography may detect feeding arteries in large intramuscular hemangiomas. The treatment of the hemangiomas is based on location, accessibility, depth of invasion, age, and cosmetic considerations. The optimal treatment is complete wide resection including the cuff of surrounding muscle. We report a case of hemangioma that occurred in the sternocleidomastoid muscle along with a with literature review.

Intramuscular Hemangioma of the Sternocleidomastoid Muscle: An Unusual Neck Mass / 대한이비인후과학회지

Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors in infancy, occurring most often on cutaneous and mucosal surfaces. Although less than 1% of hemangiomas occur in skeletal muscle, 15% of intramuscular hemangiomas arise in the head and neck musculature. Less than 10 cases of the sternocleidomastoid muscle have been reported in the English literatures. The masseter muscle is most commonly involved in the head and neck. Clinically, these tumors are present as distinct, localized, rubbery swelling. Neck computed tomography scan with enhancement may suggest a vascular mass within the muscle while angiography may detect feeding arteries in large intramuscular hemangiomas. The treatment of the hemangiomas is based on location, accessibility, depth of invasion, age, and cosmetic considerations. The optimal treatment is complete wide resection including the cuff of surrounding muscle. We report a case of hemangioma that occurred in the sternocleidomastoid muscle along with a with literature review.

Clinical Characteristics of Benign Oral Cavity Tumors: A Single-Institution Retrospective Study of 257 Patients / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to analyze the histopathologic types and clinical characteristics of benign oral cavity tumors and to identify their possible etiologic factors. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: This was a 10-year retrospective analysis of histologically diagnosed benign tumors in the oral cavity. Data was compiled for each case, documenting information about gender, age, habits (smoking and alcohol), characteristics of the lesion (site, size, color, surface and consistency), comorbidities and denture. RESULTS: Of 257 pathologically confirmed cases of excisional biopsies, the most prevalent were in the order of mucocele (47.08%), fibroma (14.79%), and hemangioma (9.34%). Labium (50.19%) and oral tongue (22.18%) were among the most frequently affected sites. In this study, there was a significant female predominance in fibroma and granuloma. On comparing the mean age of the patients for the different types of tumors, we found that mucocele had the lowest age and that there is a similar mean age among the tumors. The vast majority (99.2%) was represented by non-ulcerated masses and only 2 (0.8%) were ulcerative masses. With respect to habits, we found no significance between comorbidities and denture. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, we can state that while mucocele is the most frequent benign tumor of the oral cavity, labium is the most frequently affected site. The mean age of the patients is lowest for mucocele, and there is a high prevalence of fibroma and granuloma occurring among females. However, with respect to habits, we found no significance between comorbidities and denture.

The Impact of Thyroid Nodule Size and Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy Result on the Risk of Malignancy in the Patients Who Underwent Thyroidectomy / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The frequency of ultrasonography and cytological examinations for thyroid nodules has increased. But the efficacy of fine needle aspiration biopsy varies according to the size of the nodules. The study aimed to identify the effect of thyroid nodule size on malignancy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The medical records of patients who underwent total or hemithryoidectomy in a single tertiary hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 204 nodules were obtained from 193 patients who underwent fine needle aspiration biopsy before thyroid surgery. After each nodule was classified by size, the results of the fine needle aspiration test and risk of the final diagnosis were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The average size of 204 Bethesda class 2 (benign) nodules was 2.99 cm, which was larger than those of other classes (p<0.05). In the final histopathologic diagnosis, there was a difference in size between benign (2.41 cm) and malignant nodules (1.23 cm) (p<0.05). In addition, a logistic regression analysis showed that the nodules below 2.0 cm in size showed an odd ratio of 7.81, compared to the nodules larger than 2.0 cm (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, malignancy was higher when the thyroid nodule was less than 2 cm. Therefore, a careful observation is needed for nodules less than 2 cm for which fine needle aspiration biopsy would be recommended. Conversely, it is necessary to reconsider the diagnostic surgery for nodules larger than 2 cm.

A Case of a Primary Branchiogenic Carcinoma with a Synchronous Tonsil Squamous Cell Carcinoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

Branchiogenic carcinoma (BC), which is defined as squamous cell carcinoma arising from a branchial cyst, was first described by Volkmann in 1882. This rare disease is regarded as hypothetical, and remains a controversial disease entity. Among the diagnostic criteria of BC, the key point is the histologic demonstration of a cancer developing from the wall of an epithelial-lined cyst in the lateral site of the neck. In previous literature, many authors argued that this malignancy is actually cystic metastasis from oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. We report a case of a 49-year-old female who was diagnosed as a primary BC patient with a synchronous tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma. Although this case did not meet the traditional diagnostic criteria because of existing tonsil cancer, we could diagnose these diseases as primary malignancies, since the transition zone was clearly seen, and there was no lymph node component in the histopathologic examination.

A Case of Neurilemmoma of the Larynx Excised via Trans-Cricothyroid Membrane Approach without Tracheostomy / 대한이비인후과학회지

Neurilemmoma of the head and neck is not rare in parapharynx, but rare in the larynx. The treatment of choice in neurilemmoma of the larynx is a complete surgical resection. A small size lesion can be removed via an endoscopic approach. For a large size lesion, an external approach, such as the median or lateral thyrotomy, or pharyngotomy, can be more useful. These surgical methods often require preliminary tracheostomy to secure the airway. Through a case of neurilemmoma of the larynx, we present this disease and the treatment course of a patient, who has been successfully treated by surgical excision via trans-cricothyroid membrane approach without tracheostomy. Furthermore, we discuss its symptoms, physical examinations, microscopic features and other options of treatment for laryngeal schwannoma through literature reviews.

Tumor Sprouting in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Is Correlated with Lymph Node Metastasis and Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Identification of poor prognostic factors in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients is important for the patients' care and follow-up. We can sometimes see small tumor clusters without desmoplasia and no evidence of lymphatic emboli around the main tumor mass of PTC. We termed this form of tumor clustering, 'tumor sprouting,' and determined whether these tumors correlate with lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, and recurrence. METHODS: We analyzed a total of 204 cases of papillary thyroid macrocarcinoma. Number, size and distance from the main tumor of the tumor sprouting were observed and analyzed with clinicopathologic characteristics. RESULTS: Tumor sprouting was observed in 101 patients. Presence of tumor sprouting was significantly associated with positive resection margin (p=.002), lymphovascular invasion (p=.001), lymph node metastasis (p<.001), and recurrence (p=.004). Univariate analysis of recurrence-free survival revealed that tumor multiplicity (p=.037), positive resection margin (p=.007), lymphovascular invasion (p=.004), lymph node metastasis (p<.001), and tumor sprouting (p=.004) were poor prognostic factors. In multivariate analysis, positive resection margin was an independent poor prognostic factor of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, tumor sprouting is significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and recurrence. Evaluation of tumor sprouting in PTC patients could be helpful in predicting tumor recurrence or lymph node metastasis.

Two Cases of Bilateral Tonsillar Carcinoma with Extensive Metastasis / 대한이비인후과학회지

Tonsillar carcinoma is the most common cancer of oropharynx. Panendoscope guided biopsy has been estabilished as a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for patients with cervical nodes from metastasis of unknown origin. There is a controversy about regarding bilateral tonsillectomy as the standard procedure. In studies where bilateral tonsillectomy are routinely performed for diagnosis of unknown primaries, the rates of occult tonsillar carcinoma could be as high as 40%. On the other hand, the incidence of synchronous tonsil carcinoma is exceedingly rare with less than 15 reports in the English literature although synchronous, metachronous carcinomas are more common in head and neck carcinomas than in other sites because the risk factors for the development of carcinomas are shared between the two. We report two cases of bilateral tonsillar carcinoma with literature reviews. In these particular cases, they present an aggressive clinical feature despite small size of the primary lesion. A careful, systemic work up should be performed in bilateral tonsillar carcinoma.

The Usefulness of CO2 Laser-Assisted Phonomicrosurgery Using a Computer-Guided Scanner in Broad-Based Vocal Polyp / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: New computer-guided scanner (CGS) recently applied to CO2 laser micromanipulator allows the beam to sweep a given surface with extreme rapidity. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the efficacy and usefulness of CO2 laser-assisted phonomicrosurgery using a CGS in broad-based vocal polyp. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The current study enrolled 41 patients who underwent phonomicrosurgery for broad base polyp of vocal fold. Twenty patients underwent CO2 laser-assisted phonomicrosurgery using CGS (Group 1), and 21 patients underwent conventional phonomicrosurgery using cold instruments (Group 2). RESULTS: All voice analysis parameters showed significant improvement after surgical treatment, except fundamental frequency and noise-to-harmonic ratio. Differences between preoperative and postoperative parameters of each voice analysis data did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Although no significant difference was observed between the two groups, CO2 laser-assisted phonomicrosurgery using CGS allow for performance of more accurate and delicate incision with a controllable depth of beam penetration.