Interpersonal Violence and Maxillofacial Fractures.

PURPOSE: Accident Compensation Corporation statistics shows that maxillofacial fracture affects 11,000 people with an approximate $90 million annual cost in New Zealand dollars (NZD). Previous studies have demonstrated interpersonal violence (IPV), road traffic accidents (RTAs), sports injury, and falls being the common causes of maxillofacial fracture. This study investigated the causes and associated alcohol and/or drug use and fracture patterns in patients presenting with maxillofacial fractures in the Wellington region. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Demographic data of the patients, the cause of maxillofacial fracture and associated alcohol and/or drug use, and the fracture patterns were culled from our prospective maxillofacial fracture database at Hutt Hospital for a 5-year period from January 01, 2013, to December 31, 2017 and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1535 patients were referred with maxillofacial fractures during the study. 38% of the maxillofacial fractures were caused by IPV, followed by sports injury (24%), falls (24%), and RTA (6%), with 33.4% associated with alcohol and/or drug use. Males were six times more likely to present with IPV-related maxillofacial fractures, compared to females. The 16-30-year age group was the most prevalent in the IPV group with NZ Maori attributing to significantly more maxillofacial fractures compared to NZ European, 54.6% vs. 32.0% (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: IPV, especially involving alcohol and/or drug use, is the most common cause of maxillofacial fractures in the Wellington region, especially in NZ Maori males aged 16-30 years. Public health strategies are needed to decrease IPV as a cause of maxillofacial fractures.

Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor without osteomalacia: additional confirmation of the "nonphosphaturic" variant, with emphasis on the roles of FGF23 chromogenic in situ hybridization and FN1-FGFR1 fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor (PMT) is a rare, histologically distinctive neoplasm that classically presents with phosphaturia and tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO; ie, oncogenic osteomalacia). Both the phosphaturia and the TIO are due to paraneoplastic production of FGF23 (a phosphatonin) by the neoplastic cells, which are genetically characterized by rearrangements of FN1 (most often with FGFR1, and less frequently with FGF1). However, rare cases of PMT present without phosphaturia and TIO (ie, the "nonphosphaturic" variant) and are therefore much more challenging to diagnose. Here, we report the first case of a genetically confirmed, nonphosphaturic PMT, in which the correct diagnosis was established through a combination of careful histologic evaluation, FGF23 chromogenic in situ hybridization, and fluorescence in situ hybridization testing for FN1-FGFR1.

The cost of major head and neck cancer surgery.

AIM: This study quantified the cost of major head and neck cancer (HNC) surgery. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing major HNC surgery between July 2007 and June 2012 were identified from our head and neck database. Patient demographics, tumour type, site, stage and types of resection and reconstruction, length of stay and surgical complications occurring within six months of initial surgery were retrospectively analysed. The actual cost of initial surgical treatment and hospital income were calculated. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-five patients underwent major HNC surgery, most commonly for mucosal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and metastatic and/or locally advanced cutaneous SCC. Neck dissection and parotidectomy were the commonest resection procedures and free flaps the commonest reconstructive procedures performed. Forty-two patients developed surgical complications within six months of the initial major HNC surgery. Over the five-year period, surgery cost a total of NZ$5,130,639.00, averaging NZ$20,941.38 per patient, not including costs such as incidentals, while the hospital received NZ$4,976,559.61 averaging NZ$20,229.91/patient. On average, oral cavity cancer, metastatic and/or locally advanced skin cancer, and skull base cancer cost NZ$22,694.72/patient, NZ$17,373.64/patient and NZ$47,295.95/patient, respectively. CONCLUSION: Calculated hospital income marginally covered the actual cost of major HNC surgery, which places substantial financial burden on the hospital. The anatomic site of the tumour determines the cost of treatment.

Outcomes of the treatment of head and neck sarcomas in a tertiary referral center.

Head and neck sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors that pose management challenges. We report our experience with these tumors. Forty consecutive patients treated for 44 head and neck sarcomas between 1997 and 2014 were culled from our prospectively maintained head and neck database. Five patients were excluded. The adult cohort consisted 29 (83%) patients of a mean age of 57.7 years, with 33 sarcomas. The most common diagnoses were undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (27%) and chondroblastic osteosarcoma (21%). Clear surgical margins were achieved in 24/33 (73%) lesions. Twenty-two patients received radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Fourteen patients developed local (n = 6), regional (n = 1) and distant (n = 7) recurrence. The overall 5-year survival was 66% with a mean survival interval of 66.5 months. Recurrent sarcoma, close (<1 mm) or involved surgical margins and advanced age were associated with statistically significantly reduced survival. The pediatric cohort consisted 6 (17%) patients, with a mean age of 9 years. Five patients had primary embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas and one had chondroblastic osteosarcoma. Clear surgical margins were achieved in five (83%) patients. All patients received adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Mean survival interval was 102 months. Three patients developed local (n = 1) or distant (n = 2) recurrence. Twenty-three free and 8 pedicled flaps were performed in 25 patients. Eleven out of thirty-nine (28%) lesions in 11 patients developed a complication. In conclusion, head and neck sarcomas are best managed by a multidisciplinary team at a tertiary head and neck referral center and resection with clear margins is vital for disease control.

Gold weight implantation and lateral tarsorrhaphy for upper eyelid paralysis.

BACKGROUND: Upper eyelid paralysis leads to lagophthalmos with the risk of exposure keratitis, corneal ulceration and blindness. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing gold weight implantation and/or lateral tarsorrhaphy were identified from our prospective database and reviewed. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were identified, 36 of whom underwent immediate reanimation procedure either during cancer excision (n = 35) or repair of facial laceration (n = 1). Twenty-seven patients had a delayed procedure either following tumour excision (n = 21) or unresolved Bell's palsy (n = 3), or facial palsy due to complex craniofacial fracture (n = 3). Nine patients required revision to achieve optimal weight. Fifty-two patients had full eye closure. The remaining 11 patients had almost complete eye closure. CONCLUSIONS: Facial paralysis is devastating for the patient and immediate facial reanimation should be performed. We have demonstrated that gold weight implantation and lateral tarsorrhaphy are simple and effective in achieving eye closure.

Early oral intake after reconstruction with a free flap for cancer of the oral cavity.

To allow healing of the surgical wound patients are traditionally given nothing by mouth for 6-12 days after resection and reconstruction of a cancer of the oral cavity. Our aim was to assess the impact of introducing oral intake within 6 days postoperatively. Consecutive patients who had resection and reconstruction of a cancer of the oral cavity with a free flap within an 8-year period were selected from the head and neck database. Personal and social data; type, stage, and site of the tumour; type of resection and free flap; postoperative complications; and duration of hospital stay were recorded, supplemented by review of casenotes for the time that oral intake was started, duration of nasogastric and tracheostomy intubation, and changes in body weight. Patients in the early oral intake group started oral intake within 5 days postoperatively, and those in the late group began feeding from postoperative day 6. The duration of hospital stay in the early group was significantly shorter than that in the late group. There was, however, no difference in the morbidity, including orocutaneous fistula, between the two groups. The duration of nasogastric and tracheostomy intubation was shorter, and weight loss was less, in the early group than in the late group, but not significantly so. Early oral feeding does not increase the morbidity for patients having resection and reconstruction with free flaps for cancers of the oral cavity. Early oral intake is associated with a shorter hospital stay, and this may have implications for improved postoperative outcome.

Spontaneously reduced isolated orbital roof fracture.

We report a case of a spontaneously reduced isolated orbital roof blow-in fracture with resolution of associated diplopia and blepharoptosis highlighting the need for a low threshold for reimaging this cohort of facial fracture patients.

W(h)ither orbital pseudotumor?

Orbital pseudotumor is a nonspecific, idiopathic benign inflammatory process characterized by a polymorphous lymphoid infiltrate with varying degrees of fibrosis. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical presentation, management, and progress of six consecutive patients referred to our service with an initial diagnosis of orbital pseudotumor to underscore the challenge and pitfalls in managing this group of patients. Three male and three female patients, aged 27 to 74 years, presented with a variety of ophthalmologic problems, including orbital swelling, chemosis, proptosis, blepharoptosis, restricted eye motion, diplopia, and visual loss. The initial diagnosis of orbital pseudotumor was based on clinical findings, results of routine laboratory screening tests, computed tomographic and/or magnetic resonance imaging scans, and the response to corticosteroid treatment in three patients. In these three patients, the final diagnosis of orbital pseudotumor was confidently made only in one patient who remained in remission after corticosteroid therapy. The remaining two patients had Miller-Fisher syndrome and thyroid ophthalmopathy. Three other patients initially diagnosed with orbital pseudotumor underwent biopsy through an orbitotomy with comprehensive histopathologic evaluation. Two of these patients were subsequently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Orbital pseudotumor belongs to a spectrum of lymphocytic infiltrative orbital conditions. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. The initial diagnosis must be regarded as provisional, and failure of complete resolution with corticosteroid therapy should heighten the index of suspicion and a biopsy should be considered. However, diagnosis may be difficult even with comprehensive histopathologic studies.

[Squamous cell carcinoma of the palm: a case report]. / Avuç içinde yassi epitel hücreli karsinom: Olgu sunumu.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from the palm skin is very rare, having a very aggressive course and poor outcome. A 74-year-old male patient presented with a painful and rapidly growing nodular lesion, 20 mm in size, in the distal part of the right palm. He received antibiotic treatment at another center with the thought of an infection, and then with oral corticosteroids with an estimation of a granuloma. The patient underwent a wide excision with an initial diagnosis of skin cancer, followed by full-thickness skin grafting. Histopathologic examination showed moderately differentiated SCC extending to the deep subcutaneous tissue and positivity in deep surgical margins. Subsequent surgery included ray amputation involving index and middle fingers. However, recurrent skin lesions appeared in the dorsum of the hand together with enlarged lymph nodes in the epitrochlear and medial axillary regions. Following a wide surgical removal of the lesions, metastases were detected in epitrochlear and axillary lymph nodes and in fatty subcutaneous tissue. A month later, new lesions developed in the dorsum of the hand, which required another surgical excision. However, new epitrochlear lymph nodes and multifocal lesions in the right axillary region emerged. This time, radical radiotherapy was administered. In a short time, cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases in the thoracic wall and widespread lung metastases were detected. The patient died from pulmonary complications 10 months after presentation.

Deep plane cervicofacial flap: a useful and versatile technique in head and neck surgery.

BACKGROUND: Large oncosurgical defects of the cheek present a challenging reconstructive problem, especially when skin resections are combined with other procedures such as parotidectomy and/or neck dissection. METHODS: We present our experience with the deep plane cervicofacial flap (DPCFF) for reconstructing zone 1 (n=7), zone 2 (n=6), and zone 3 (n=5) cheek defects resulting from excision of primary cutaneous malignancies (n=13) and metastatic parotid (n=6) and/or neck (n=4) disease with skin involvement. The patients were between 65 and 88 years of age (mean, 76.7 years). The design of the flap was determined by the location of the defect and the need for simultaneous parotidectomy and/or neck dissection. Sixteen flaps were anteriorly based, whereas two were posteriorly based. RESULTS: Twelve patients underwent simultaneous parotidectomy (n=11) and/or neck dissection (n=10) and/or facial reanimation procedures (n=6). The size of the cutaneous defects ranged from 4 x 4 to 10 x 10 (mean, 5.6 x 5.3) cm. Eight patients received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy to the primary site and/or parotid bed and neck. Superficial marginal flap necrosis occurred in one of the three patients who received definitive radiotherapy before salvage surgery and repair with DPCFF. Other complications included one hematoma, one ectropion, and one retraction of the lower eyelid. Apart from mild facial contour deficiency in two patients, excellent functional and cosmetic outcome with good skin color and texture match were achieved in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The DPCFF is a versatile reconstructive technique in head and neck surgery. It provides a simple solution for a variety of cheek defects as an excellent alternative to regional or free tissue transfer. It can be used when simultaneous parotidectomy and/or neck dissection and/or facial reanimation procedures are required. This composite musculo-fascio-cutaneous unit is reliable with excellent vascularity, because it has an axial blood supply. Division of the facial suspensory ligaments during elevation of the flap in the sub-superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (SMAS) plane increases the mobility of this flap, which facilitates transfer.

Simulating phenol high-performance liquid chromatography retention times as the pH changes. Mobile phase pH versus buffer pH.

The HPLC retention times of several substituted phenols have been measured and simulated using Advanced Chemistry Development's LC simulator, using 50% acetonitrile (ACN) as the mobile phase. For alkyl- and nitro-substituted phenols, the quality of the simulation improves when pH of the mobile phase is estimated and used in the simulation. Simply using the pH of the buffer gives simulation results that are not as close to the actual retention times. However, the opposite is the case for halogenated phenols. The pK(a) values in 50% ACN for some of these phenols have also been determined, which tend to be one unit higher than the aqueous pK(a) values reported in the literature.

A case of giant nasal pyogenic granuloma gravidarum.

Pyogenic granuloma gravidarum occurs as oral or nasal lesions in approximately 5% of pregnant women. Nasal mucosa is an unusual site for this lesion with few cases reported in the literature. A case of giant nasal pyogenic granuloma gravidarum that required radical excision through an open rhinotomy after superselective embolization is described. The patient had a good cosmetic result and a satisfactory airway when she was seen for follow-up 1 year after surgery. Giant pyogenic granuloma gravidarum is best managed with a multidisciplinary approach involving radical excision after preoperative superselective embolization for safe and complete removal of the lesion.

Necrotising fasciitis and cellulitis after traditional Samoan tattooing: case reports.

Traditional Samoan tattooing, ta tatau, is a vital part of Samoan culture. It is being performed with greater frequency on New Zealand resident Samoans. Unfortunately, ta tatau has recently been the causal factor in two significant infectious cases, in one of which death resulted. The two cases were clinically reviewed. An investigation into the history and practice of ta tatau was made in an attempt to identify causal factors that could be addressed. The two cases had similar causal themes. These included improper sanitary techniques, ta tatau being performed in unlicensed premises by temporary tattooists, patients that were unwilling to access medical services due to the expectations of tradition, lack of follow-up and lack of infection advice by the tattooist. Life threatening infectious complications has not previously been described for traditional Samoan tattooing. Improper sanitary conditions in combination with late presentation to medical services have been suggested as the cause of these cases. The technique, tools, culture and trends are discussed and recommendations are made for reducing infectious complications.

Cleft palate repair in spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita: minimizing the risk of cervical cord compression.

OBJECTIVE: Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC) is a rare, inheritable condition that can include dwarfism, cleft palate, and C(1-2) instability. When repairing a cleft palate in a patient with SEDC, there is a significant risk of cord compression at the C(1-2) level because of neck hyperextension required for the operation. This reports presents a patient with SEDC who underwent surgery for a cleft palate, using a Ferno vacuum splint to immobilize the spine. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent general anesthesia. Good access was gained to the palate, and it was repaired without any complications. Particular attention was paid to maintaining the neck in a neutral position. CONCLUSIONS: The described technique provides the patient with the safest possible situation during anesthesia for cleft palate repair.