Using elasticated retractors in head and neck surgeries

Elasticated retractors, a recent advancement in surgical techniques, provide an enhanced and effective way of retraction during head and neck surgeries. These have been used for a number of procedures and are known for their effective retraction and minimizing surgical time span. This article highlights the authors' experience and the pros and cons of this technique

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour of maxilla

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour [MPNST] is a very rare entity in head and neck with high rate of recurrences and local invasiveness. This tumour is usually found in lower extremities and only 10-12% occur in head and neck region. The diagnosis is considered as the most elusive and difficult among soft tissue sarcomas because of its non specific presentation, both clinically as well as pathologically. This difficulty has now been overcome by immunohistochemistry. We report here a case of MPNST in a 50 years old male with a localized right maxillary growth

Prevalence of malignancy in resected specimen of patients operated for benign nodular goitre

To determine the frequency of malignancy on histopathology amongst resected specimen of thyroid gland in patients, who had no evidence of malignancy pre-operatively on clinical grounds and investigations. A retrospective descriptive study carried out from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2005. Surgical Unit one, Civil Hospital, Karachi. A total of 190 patients who were operated for benign nodular thyroid disease during the study period; 100 cases had multinodular goitre and 90 solitary nodules. Biodata, clinical features, investigations, diagnosis, details of surgery, complications and histopathology reports of all the patients were reviewed and analyzed. Amongst the 190 patients the mean age was 33.42 +/- 12.4 years [range l7-45 years], while the male: female ratio was 1:6.6. Seven [3.6%] cases were found to be malignant on histopathology, with a frequency of 3% [3/100] amongst multinodular cases and 4.4% [4/90] amongst solitary nodules. Prevalence of malignancy in multinodular goiter does not differ significantly from solitary nodules. Hence, multinodularity should no longer be considered as an indicator of benign disease. Both varieties of nodular goitres should be considered for surgery even if there is no suspicion of malignancy