Management of head and neck paragangliomas: a series of 9 cases and review of the literature.

We conducted a retrospective study of the long-term functional results of surgery for head and neck paragangliomas. Our study population was made up of 9 patients--4 men and 5 women, aged 22 to 59 years (mean: 46.6; median: 51)--who had undergone surgical excision of a head and neck paraganglioma from January 2002 through December 2006 in the ENT Department at Pugliese-Ciaccio Hospital in Catanzaro, Italy. Of the 9 paragangliomas, 4 were carotid body tumors, 2 were glomus tympanicum tumors, and 3 were glomus vagale tumors. None of the cases was bilateral or hereditary. Complete tumor resection was achieved in 8 patients; in the remaining patient, a small amount of intradural residual vagus nerve paraganglioma had to be left in situ. The internal carotid artery was preserved in all 4 resections of carotid body tumors. There was only 1 case of postoperative lower cranial nerve deficits, which occurred in a patient with a carotid body tumor. Follow-up ranged from 12 to 53 months (mean: 37.2; median: 36), and no recurrences were documented. Our small sample showed that surgical treatment of head and neck paragangliomas provided excellent tumor control with low postoperative morbidity, even in patients with large tumors. A wait-and-scan policy may be more appropriate for patients at an advanced age or who are otherwise at high surgical risk, as well as for those whose tumors have recurred following radiotherapy.

Unilateral inferior turbinate hypoplasia caused by a longstanding (approximately 35 yr) nasal foreign body.

We report the unusual case of a 44-year-old man who presented with a plastic foreign body that had been lodged in his right nasal cavity for approximately 35 years. Initial attempts to remove the object were unsuccessful; only after it was broken into several parts was removal achieved. Rigid nasal endoscopy and computed tomography revealed hypoplasia of the ipsilateral inferior turbinate.

Partial middle turbinectomy during endoscopic sinus surgery for extended sinonasal polyposis: short- and mid-term outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: The 23 patients with extensive sinonasal polyposis who had undergone partial resection of the middle turbinate during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) showed no differences in nasal airway resistance and in postoperative complication rate (1-year follow-up period) in comparison with the 25 patients who had FESS with middle turbinate preservation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the outcomes of partial middle turbinectomy during FESS in patients with sinonasal polyposis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 48 consecutive patients who had undergone surgery for extended sinonasal polyposis was performed. Twenty-three patients underwent FESS with middle turbinate head resection; 25 patients underwent FESS with preservation of middle turbinate. We endoscopically scored polyposis extension and evaluated nasal airflow resistance (NAR) preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: We found an improvement of endoscopic score (high to low grade of polyposis extension) and a statistically significant reduction of NAR after both surgical techniques. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean NAR values before and after the two techniques.