Extensive Giant Lipoma of Oropharynx

@#Lipoma is a benign, slow growing tumour composed of adipose tissue. In general, it is very unusual for lipoma to form in the head and neck region, let alone achieve a size of more than 10 cm with the involvement of deep neck spaces. We discussed a case of an extremely huge neck lipoma measuring 18 cm x 14 cm with extensive involvement of deep neck spaces, infratemporal fossa and pharynx, closely adherent to submandibular and parotid gland. The diagnostic and therapeutic challenges were discussed, in achieving a surgically complete excision and cosmetically acceptable outcome

Rapid Subjective Vertigo and Psychological Improvement Post Gans Reposition Manoeuvre in 3 Days Duration

@#Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common vestibular disorder worldwide. Management of this pathology is not complicated and can be done in a short period of time with a proper diagnosis and treatment technique. There are several established methods for treatment of this disease includes Epley’s maneuver, Gans Canal Repositioning maneuver (Gans CRM) and others. This study reported a 38-year-old female presented with dizziness and vertigo, which is severely altered her daily activity, showed 90% improvement using the psychological effect assessment tool after three days of treatment with Gans CRM.

Kimura Disease as a Rare Cause of Proptosis: A Case Report

ABSTRACT@#Kimura disease (KD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology that primarily affects the head and neck region with lymph node involvement. Young to middle-aged adult Asian males are predominantly affected. The most common presentation is painless subcutaneous swelling in the head and neck region, while proptosis or orbital involvement is very rarely reported. KD shares some features with other inflammatory and neoplastic disorders, including lymphoma; thus, investigations to confirm the diagnosis should not be delayed. Systemic corticosteroids are commonly used to treat KD and show an excellent response; however, the optimal treatment is still uncertain, and KD has a high recurrence rate. We describe the case of a patient with KD who presented with proptosis and post-auricular swelling, which responded well to oral prednisolone treatment.

A Critical Appraisal of COVID-19 in Malaysia and Beyond

@#When the first report of COVID-19 appeared in December 2019 from Wuhan, China, the world unknowingly perceived this as another flu-like illness. Many were surprised at the extreme steps that China had subsequently taken to seal Wuhan from the rest of the world. However, by February 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, had spread so quickly across the globe that the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. COVID-19 is not the first pandemic the world has seen, so what makes it so unique in Malaysia, is discussed to avoid a future coronacoma.

The louder the bigger: A case of jugular phlebectasia in a child

@#Jugular phlebectasia has been increasingly recognised with the advent of non-invasive diagnostic methods. Phlebectasia differs from varix, as it is an abnormal outward dilatation of a vein without tortuosity. It presents as a soft, compressible mass, apparent upon straining or execution of the Valsalva maneuver. The differentials for neck masses are broad, but if the swelling appears on the Valsalva maneuver, the type of mass narrows down to a laryngocele, superior mediastinal mass or phlebectasia. A simple non-invasive investigation, such as ultrasonography, is used as a diagnostic tool. We report a case of jugular phlebectasia that was suspected clinically and confirmed via ultrasound to be a vascular lesion which changed its size upon straining.

A boy with peri-oral lesion

@#A 4-year-old boy complained of dryness of lips for a 3-month duration. The dryness progressed to becoming scaly and painful, and lesions extended beyond the lip area. The condition was associated with peri-oral itchiness. The boy was observed to be licking his lips subconsciously a few times per minute. The lesions started with a habitual licking of the lips. There was no history of allergies or any recent intake of a new drug. There was also no history of atopy in the patient or his family

A rare catastrophic cause of muffled voice

@#A 60-year-old diabetic lady presented with a four-day history of sore throat and fever, followed by dysphagia, odynophagia and voice change. It started with a low-grade fever with no chills or rigor, no night sweats and no loss of weight or appetite. There was no other positive history.

Paediatric burkitt lymphoma presenting as a mandible swelling and intussusception

@#Burkitt lymphoma is a rare entity especially in this part of the world. We had an 11-year-old patient presented with swelling of the mandible for a short one-month duration. He was planned for excision biopsy. However developed severe abdominal pain while in the hospital and was diagnosed as intussusception after ultrasound was done. We proceeded with right hemicolectomy and excision of buccal mass. Early recognition and close monitoring of insidious jaw lesions is recommended even in young adults not within the modal age category of endemic Burkitt.

Awake fibre Optic Intubation with Dexmedetomidine for Ludwig Angina with Severe Trismus

@#Ludwig angina is a submandibular space cellulitis secondary to oral cavity infection. It is strongly associated with difficult intubation due to limitation in the mouth opening. The presentation of Ludwig angina varies according to the severity of the infection. The extreme presentations include upper airway obstruction and respiratory failure. We present a female teenager with right submandibular abscess as the consequence of Ludwig angina, who was planned for incision and drainage. Successful awake fibre optic intubation was performed as a method of induction due to trismus, deferring the need for tracheostomy.

Second branchial arch fistula masqueraded as recurrent parotid abscess: a case report

@#Branchial apparatus anomalies usually manifest in teenage or early adult life. Infection complicates second branchial pouch anomalies usually presented as a neck lump or discharging sinus. It is the most common form of anomalies compared to another branchial pouch aberrant. However, it is extremely rare to find a complete branchial fistula with both internal and external openings. Misdiagnosis usually occurs leading to inappropriate and suboptimal treatment. Here, we report of a case of complete second branchial pouch fistula and discuss the clinical presentation and surgical management of such lesion.

Intramuscular haemangioma of the masseter muscle: a case report

@#Intramuscular haemangioma is relatively rare and accounts for less than 1% of all haemangioma. Most of these tumours occur in the trunk, arms and legs. Only 14% of all intramuscular haemangioma arise from the head and neck region, with masseter muscle representing the most common site of involvement, followed by the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles. We present a case of a 60-year-old man with a soft lump in the left cheek. Imaging of the neck showed irregular, dilated enhancing vessels seen in the left masseter muscle suggestive of intramuscular haemangioma. Excisional biopsy was performed, and histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis.

Coughing on palpation: A rare complication of vagal schwannoma

@#Cervical vagal schwannoma is an uncommon, benign neoplasm. It is usually asymptomatic and presents as a painless, palpable mass in the neck. However, large schwannomas can cause dysphagia, dysphonia or dyspnea as a result of compression. We report a case of an extremely rare complication of vagal schwannoma in which neck palpation induced the patient to cough. As the patient refused any surgical intervention, conservative management was used.

Kimura Disease: A differential diagnosis in a nephrotic child

@#Kimura disease presents as benign lesion and is commonly present among the Asian population. It is a disease with a favourable prognosis and a peak age of onset in the third decade. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that involves the lymph nodes and subcutaneous tissues of the head and neck region. We report a case of a 15-year-old boy with multiple Kimura lymphadenopathies involving the left posterior auricular region as well as the anterior and posterior triangles of the neck.

Migrating ingested wooden toothpick presenting as a neck lump: A case report

Foreign bodies (FB) are most often lodged in the upper digestive tract and amongst the common encounter in outpatient clinic. In most instances, the ingested FB passes uneventfully through the gastrointestinal tract without any harm but in certain cases, it can migrate extraluminally and lead to serious complication. Long standing migrated FB can cause devastating complications like neck abscess and injuries to the major blood vessels. In the present case, a wooden toothpick had migrated to the soft tissue of the neck. A careful and detailed history with clinical-radiographic investigation helped to locate the ingested FB and aided in its successful removal.

Prevalence of Eosinophilic/Non Eosinophillic Nasal Polyps and Analysis of Their Presentation in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia

This study is aimed to examine the predominant inflammatory cells in nasal polyps (NP) in the local community and its correlation to the clinical presentations. Materials and Methods: The study was done retrospectively looking at patients who had undergone functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia with a histopathological diagnosis of nasal polyposis (NP), between the years 2004 to 2008. Sixty two patients between the ages of 18 years to 60 years old were selected and data relevant to the study were collected from the patient’s folders using a specially created form prepared for the study. The NP histopathology report from each patient underwent FESS were analysed and the patients were divided into eosinophilic and non eosinophilic dominant group. Clinical presentations from each patient were also gathered and analysed according to the NP group. Results: In HUSM, there were a higher number of eosinophilic types NP as compared to the neutrophilic type NP which is contrary to other study conducted on Asian populations. The clinical symptom correlations between either eosinophilic or non-eosinophilic type of NP have not shown any significant associations. Conclusion: The study showed that the incidence of histological subtypes of nasal polyp in HUSM is almost the same as that found in other parts of the world (Europe and North America) which will reduce the possibility of racial or geographical influence on the pathogenesis of the nasal polyp. Clinical symptoms and presentation alone are not enough to differentiate the type of the nasal polyp without the histological study.

Hypopharyngeal cancer masquerading as a thyroid mass

Hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) is generally a rare head and neck malignancy. There are differing clinical presentations depending on the subsite location of primary tumour. Advanced HPC will have neck node metastasis particularly upper jugulodigastric nodes. We report a patient with postcricoid tumour who presented with anterior huge neck swelling mimic thyroid mass. The patient first presented to the General Surgical Unit for management of presumed thyroid lesion. She was diagnosed post-cricoid squamous cell carcinoma when further assessed by otorhinolaryngologist.

Novel Usage of Dexmetomidine In A Paediatric Patient With Giant Tongue Haemangioma

Giant haemangioma of the tongue is a disease which can obstruct the oropharyngeal airway and is presented with obstructive symptoms. Due to its vascularity, inserting laryngoscope for intubation can cause high risks, such as inducing bleeding. Hypoxia and excessive bleeding must be anticipated while securing the airway. We present a case of novel usage of dexmetomidine as a conscious sedation agent for awake fibre optic intubation in a 9-year-old child with obstructive symptoms secondary to a huge tongue haemangioma, who was presented for interventional sclerotherapy of the lesion.

Plunging Epidermoid Cyst of the Floor of the Mouth Mimicking a Ranula

Plunging epidermoid cyst of the floor of mouth is indeed an uncommon entity. A 34-year old Malay gentleman had presented to our centre with a floor of mouth lesion that extended into the submental region. Clinical findings and imaging studies pointed towards the impression of a plunging ranula. Histopathological examination of a completely excised mass via intraoral approach, confirmed the diagnosis of an epidermoid cyst. He was well on follow up with no subsequent recurrence. We discuss the nature of epidermoid cyst and its surgical management.

When the symptoms remain, the diagnosis may need a change: a missed foreign body

The unilateral nasal symptom should trigger a treating physician to a certain diagnosis. The differential diagnosis includes foreign body, rhinolith and tumour. The chronicity of symptom helps a lot with the diagnosis. Foreign body for example, tends to present with positive history of insertion, mainly by children or the acute symptom of local infection. In the presence of prolonged symptom, rhinolith should be suspected especially when the patient presents with pathognomonic nasal obstruction with foul smelly discharge. A referral should be made for a nasoendoscopy evaluation whenever a rhinitis-like symptoms remain after a period of medical treatment for allergy. We share a case of a missed diagnosis of a rhinolith after six years of symptoms. Keywords: nose; obstruction; rhinolith; unilateral

Debulking biopsy of a huge intraoral mass avoiding tracheostomy

Managing a patient with a huge intraoral mass is always challenging. Manipulation or even a simple biopsy of the mass may lead to hemorrhage and further compromise the airway. An examination under anesthesia is not without risk. The method of securing the airway itself may become an issue if the mass is fully occupying the airway before intubation. Usually a tracheostomy is indicated. We share a gentleman presented with a huge intraoral mass occupying the oropharynx, which initially necessitates tracheostomy. We utilized the ultrasonic scalpel-assisted instrument to biopsy by debulking the tumour, thus avoiding the tracheostomy while waiting for the definitive treatment.