Repeat re-irradiation with interstitial HDR-brachytherapy for an in-field isolated nodal recurrence in a patient with HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

PURPOSE: Locoregionally recurrent head and neck cancer is a complex clinical scenario that often requires multimodality treatment. These patients have often previously received definitive treatment with a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic therapy, which can make further management difficult. A second isolated locoregional failure is rare and clinicians are faced with a challenge to optimize disease control while minimizing treatment-related toxicity. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this report, we present the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of a patient with an isolated locoregional recurrence who was previously treated with two courses of radiation. The patient was treated with a second course of reirradiation using interstitial brachytherapy as well as a discussion regarding patient selection and optimal management for recurrent head and neck cancer. RESULTS: Repeat reirradiation using interstitial HDR-brachytherapy with the use of an alloderm spacer was successfully delivered to the patient for an in-field right neck nodal recurrence. He received a total EQD2/BED dose of 127.70/153.24 Gy. At 1-year followup, the patient was without evidence of recurrent disease or new significant side effects. CONCLUSION: Recurrent head and neck cancer should be managed with a multidisciplinary approach given the complex clinical scenario. Reirradiation is a commonly used salvage measure for recurrent head and neck cancer that requires careful planning and patient selection due to prior treatment-related effects and dose constraints. We reported a case of a second course of reirradiation using interstitial HDR-brachytherapy for locoregionally recurrent head and neck cancer and showed no recurrence of disease or worsening long term side effects at 1 year.

[68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/MRI in the diagnosis and management of recurrent head and neck paraganglioma with spinal metastasis.

Most head and neck paragangliomas (PGLs) are biochemically silent and often present with recurrence and metastases in association with hereditary syndromes. Whole-body functional imaging is increasingly used to detect tumor extent and guide treatment planning of PGLs. [68Ga]-DOTATATE, which targets somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) overexpression, has emerged as a sensitive functional imaging modality in PGLs. We present a patient with metastatic glomus caroticum PGL in whom [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/MRI provided a more accurate characterization of metastatic extent, as compared to gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the neck and whole body [18F]-FDG PET/CT. We then review the current literature and discuss the imaging implications of [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/MRI in PGLs.

Improving thyroid function monitoring in head and neck cancer patients: A quality improvement study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and improve compliance of thyroid function monitoring in head and neck cancer patients who received radiotherapy to the cervical region before and after instituting quality improvement interventions. METHODS: Using the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) methodology, patients with head and neck malignancies who received radiotherapy to the cervical region from 2013-2015 were identified at a tertiary medical center. The status of the patients' thyroid monitoring and related characteristics were recorded. A quality improvement project was subsequently implemented by data sharing and providing feedback to practitioners involved in head and neck cancer care and creating a tracking database for all patients who received radiotherapy to the neck. After implementation of these interventions, data was collected on patients meeting the inclusion criteria from 2015-2017. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-six patients met criteria pre-intervention and ninety-eight patients met criteria post-intervention. Compliance of thyroid monitoring went up from 34% to 80% after interventions (P < .0001). There was a significant increase in thyroid testing performed by radiation oncologists after interventions from 2% to 21%, while medical oncologists and otolaryngologists remained consistent in their compliance rates. CONCLUSION: It is possible to improve compliance with evidence-based recommendations and improve the quality-of-care for head and neck cancer survivors through simple, cost effective interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Laryngoscope, 130:E573-E579, 2020.

Surgical Experience and Early Outcomes With a Slim Perimodiolar Electrode.

INTRODUCTION: In 2016 the Cochlear CI532 received FDA approval and has since been the primary full-length electrode from this manufacturer implanted at our center. Our experience to date including surgical technique and early patient outcomes are reviewed here. METHODS: Since 2016, this array was used as our standard full length Cochlear array, including children with normal anatomy, with 237 total implantations. Surgical experience and clinical outcomes including low frequency hearing preservation and speech perception on CNC words were analyzed in those with at least 6 months follow-up implanted through June 2017 (n = 94). RESULTS: Speech perception scores are improving over clinical follow-up in accord with other electrode arrays. Hearing preservation is possible with a number of patients utilizing acoustic low frequency hearing in conjunction with electric stimulation from their CI. Tip fold overs were infrequent (4.6%) and always identified on intraoperative x-ray. No patients left the operating room with a tip fold over. CONCLUSIONS: Speech perception outcomes with the CI532 slim periomodiolar array are similar to other full length arrays with the added potential for at least short term preservation of residual acoustic hearing. There is a learning curve to its use and intraoperative x-rays are valuable to ensure optimal placement.

Patterns of Change in Facial Skeletal Aging.

IMPORTANCE: Research in facial aging has focused on soft-tissue changes rather than bony changes despite evidence of the importance of underlying bony structural changes. Research has also been limited by comparing different patients in separate age groups rather than the same patients over time. OBJECTIVE: To longitudinally document patterns of change in the facial skeleton and determine a consistent methodology for measuring these changes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Case series study of university hospital system records using facial computed tomographic (CT) images timed at least 8 years apart in adults initially aged 40 to 55 years with no history of facial surgery who required repeated facial imaging that included the entire midface and cranium. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Face CTs were analyzed for 3-dimensional constructions and 2-dimensional measurements to document changes in glabellar, piriform, and maxillary angles and piriform height and width. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (5 men, 9 women; mean [SD] age, 51.1 [5.8] years) with mean (SD) follow-up of 9.7 (1.4) years were eligible for 2-dimensional analysis, which revealed statistically significant decreases in mean (SD) glabellar angles (from 68.8° [7.6°] to 66.5° [8.6°]) and maxillary angles on both the right (from 82.5° [6.3°] to 81.0° [7.1°]) and left (from 83.0° [5.8°] to 81.0° [7.0°]), as well as increases in mean (SD) piriform width (from 24.5 [1.6] mm to 25.5 [1.3] mm). Nine patients (3 men, 6 women; mean [SD] age, 51.4 [6.3] years) with mean (SD) follow-up imaging at 9.6 (1.5) years were eligible for 3-dimensional analysis, which revealed statistically significant decreases in mean (SD) maxillary angles (from 56.5° [6.6°] to 51.6° [7.6°]) and piriform angles (from 50.8° [3.4°] to 49.1° [3.4°]). Statistically significant differences between the sexes were also noted: Initial mean (SD) glabellar angle for men was 61.7° (5.7°) vs 72.7° (5.4°) for women, with final values of 57.9° (4.9°) vs 71.2° (6.0°). Mean (SD) maxillary angle initial values were 87.8° (6.1°) (right) and 87.1° (4.9°) (left) for men, with 79.6° (4.3°) and 80.6° (5.0°) for women, respectively. Final values were 87.0° (4.4°) and 86.9° (4.1°) for men and 77.7° (6.1°) and 77.7° (6.2°) for women, respectively. Mean (SD) piriform height for men was 35.0 (2.0) mm initially and 35.5 (2.1) mm finally, vs 31.3 (2.8) and 31.6 (3.0) mm for women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our pilot study of repeated CT images of patients over several years supports previous studies of bony facial aging and further characterizes these changes. This study is the first, to our knowledge, to document bony changes of the face in the same group of patients at different time points to better characterize facial aging. We also detail an improved methodology to study bony aging to contribute to additional research in the field. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

The 50 Most Cited Articles in Facial Plastic Surgery.

Bibliometric analysis is a common method to determine the most influential articles in medical specialties, as it is an objective measure of peer recognition of scientific work. This study is the first bibliometric analysis of the literature in facial plastic surgery, to determine the most cited papers in the field. Bibliometric analysis was performed using the Science Citation Index from the Institute for Scientific Information, accessed through the Web of Science™. Filter terms relevant to the field of facial plastic surgery were used to identify the 50 most cited journal articles between 1900 and 2016. The median number of citations was 150 (range 116-1091). The articles spanned a wide range of topics in the field, with the most common topics being free flap reconstruction (n = 10), nasal surgery (n = 9), and rhytidectomy (n = 6). The majority of these articles (n = 29) presented findings supported by level IV or V evidence. This analysis provides an overview of the most cited articles in facial plastic surgery, many of which introduced some of the most fundamental principles and techniques in the field. These landmark articles represent important educational points that should be reviewed by all clinicians and trainees in this field. Level of Evidence III This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .