A Case of Unilateral Absence of the Submandibular Gland Secondary to Sialolithiasis / 대한이비인후과학회지

Absence of major salivary glands, especially those of occurring unilaterally or secondary to Wharton's duct stone, is a rare disorder, A case of unilateral submandibular gland absence occurring secondary to Wharton's duct stone was presented in a 51-year-old male. Using the ultrasonography (USG) and computerized tomography (CT), the absence of the submandibular gland was confirmed. The patient had long-term history of sialolithiasis of the right submandibular gland, so the right submandibular gland was suspected of having acquired a change due to sialolithiasis. The present case would be a second report demonstrating a case of unilateral submandibular gland absence occurring secondary to stones, suggesting that, without ligation of submandibular nerves, the obstruction of excretory duct of a submandibular gland could lead to a complete atrophy of the gland in human.

A Case of Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma of Nasal Dorsum

Fibrous histiocytoma usually develops indiscriminately in skin and any soft tissues of the body. To date, tumors occurring in soft tissues of the head and neck, especially around the nose, have been rarely reported. In most cases, benign fibrous histiocytoma develops as a painless mass lesion and most commonly originates in sun-exposed skin, extremities, and orbital tissue. Recently, we experienced a case of benign fibrous histiocytoma in the nasal dorsum in a 36-year-old woman who complained of a mass in the nasal dorsum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of benign fibrous histiocytoma originating in the nasal dorsum in a Korean.

Differences of Upper Airway Morphology According to Obesity: Study with Cephalometry and Dynamic MD-CT

OBJECTIVES: We investigated difference of parameters of polysomnography, cephalometry and dynamic multi-detector computerized tomography (MD-CT) in wake and sleep states according to obesity. METHODS: We evaluated 93 patients who underwent polysomnography and cephalometry. MD-CT was performed in 68 of these 93 patients. Fifty-nine and 34 patients were classified as obese and non-obese, with obesity defined as BMI > or =25. Cephalometry results were analyzed for 12 variables. Using the MD-CT, we evaluated dynamic upper airway morphology in wake and sleep states and divided the upper airway into four parts named as high retropalatal (HRP), low retropalatal (LRP), high retroglossal (HRG), and low retroglossal (LRG). A minimal cross sectional area (mCSA) and collapsibility index (CI) were calculated for each airway level. RESULTS: Diastolic blood pressure (P=0.0005), neck circumference (P<0.0001), and apnea-hypopnea index (P<0.0001) were statistically significantly different between the obese and non-obese group. Among 12 cephalometric variables, there was a significant difference in only the distance from mandibular plane to hyoid bone (P=0.003). There was statistical difference in CI of HRG and LRG in sleep state (P=0.0449, 0.0281) but no difference in mCSA in wake and sleep states. CONCLUSION: The obese group had more severe sleep apnea than the non-obese group. We believe that the increased severity of apnea in the obese group may be have been due to increased collapsibility of the upper airway rather than decreased size of the upper airway.