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PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinomas are rare aggressive tumours with traditionally poor outcomes. Although multimodality treatment has been recommended by most centres, the ideal treatment sequence or regimen has not been established. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence suggests that induction chemotherapy may be used for chemoselection and cytoreduction prior to definitive chemoradiotherapy. Where there is a favourable response, concurrent chemoradiotherapy is favoured, with an improved overall survival and improved rates of organ preservation. SUMMARY: Induction chemotherapy may be a useful guide for selection of patients for chemoradiotherapy or surgery and has shown encouraging results. Further research is required to establish the ideal induction chemotherapy regimen for this rare group of tumours.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma , Maxillary Sinus Neoplasms , Humans , Carcinoma/pathology , Maxillary Sinus Neoplasms/pathology , Combined Modality Therapy , Chemoradiotherapy/adverse effectsABSTRACT
This case series highlights a possible association between isolated facial nerve palsy and SARS-CoV-2. Caution should be exercised in the use of steroids in patients with COVID-19 as its impact is still not well established.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: In this series, we describe ossicular reconstruction using routine TORP in the presence of the stapes superstructure using a tympanic-membrane-to-footplate configuration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a case series of 12 patients who underwent TORP ossiculoplasties from 1st January 2010 to 31st October 2017. Data collected included demographics, indication for surgery, status of the middle ear and pre-operative and post-operative audiometric data (including pure tone average (PTA) and air-bone gap (ABG)). RESULTS: The mean pre-operative PTA was 56.5 dB and ABG was 39.8 dB. Surgical success (ABG ≤ 20 dB) was achieved in 83.3%, with an average improvement in PTA of 24.3 dB and closure of ABG of 27.1 dB. The mean post-operative ABG was 12.7 dB. CONCLUSION: TORP ossiculoplasty with tympanic-membrane-to-footplate configuration is a feasible means of ossicular reconstruction, independent of the status or spatial arrangement of the remnant ossicles. Using this technique, it is possible to achieve a consistently good outcome for improvement in hearing and closure of ABG.
Subject(s)
Hearing Loss, Conductive/surgery , Ossicular Prosthesis , Ossicular Replacement/methods , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Stapes/pathology , Adult , Aged , Feasibility Studies , Female , Hearing , Hearing Loss, Conductive/physiopathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeSubject(s)
Epidermal Cyst/diagnosis , Pancreatic Diseases/diagnosis , Spleen , Diagnosis, Differential , Epidermal Cyst/pathology , Epidermal Cyst/surgery , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pancreas/pathology , Pancreas/surgery , Pancreatectomy , Pancreatic Cyst/diagnosis , Pancreatic Cyst/pathology , Pancreatic Cyst/surgery , Pancreatic Diseases/pathology , Pancreatic Diseases/surgery , Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis , Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology , Pancreatic Neoplasms/surgery , Spleen/surgery , Splenectomy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Cardiac arrhythmias are common in patients with OSA. However, the prevalence and significance of cardiac arrhythmias in Asian patients with OSA are not well studied. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with OSA in Singapore and to evaluate possible factors that may predispose patients with OSA to arrhythmias. METHODS: A retrospective study of 2,019 patients was carried out from January 2011 to December 2012 at a sleep center in a tertiary medical center. Of the population, 1,457 patients were found to have OSA and 144 patients were found to have cardiac arrhythmias. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, and polysomnogram parameters. RESULTS: The prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in our OSA population is 8.0%, compared to that of primary snorers at 4.8% (P = .015). The univariate analysis revealed that older age, higher body mass index, comorbidities, and severity of OSA, including apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT) and hypoxic time were correlated with a higher prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias (P < .05). However, the multivariate analysis showed that only age and body mass index were significantly correlated with arrhythmias. AHI, LSAT, and hypoxic time were no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that cardiac arrhythmias are common in patients with OSA in Singapore. It also suggests that given the different demographics of our population, ethnicity may play a significant role in the development of cardiovascular disease among patients with OSA. COMMENTARY: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 1229.
