Endoscopic CO2 laser surgery for supraglottic cancer--ten years of experience.

We present our experience with primary CO2 laser surgery for planocellular supraglottic carcinoma. During a ten-year period, we performed 64 curative supraglottic laryngectomies. Twenty-nine patients presented with T1 and 35 with T2 carcinoma. There were 46 patients without regional and/or distant metastases (N0 neck), and 18 patients with N+ neck. Thirty-three (52%) patients were treated with surgery alone, and in 31 (48%) patients surgical procedure was combined with radiotherapy. Estimated overall 5-year survival for all patients was 89%. Local and regional tumor control as well as survival rate were comparable with the results of other therapeutic options, i.e. radiotherapy or open supraglottic laryngectomy. Functional results outline the advantages of endoscopic laser surgery for laryngeal carcinoma. Transoral endoscopic CO2 laser surgery is efficacious treatment for T1 and T2 supraglottic carcinoma, and can be combined with neck dissection and postoperative irradiation.

Extranotochordal extralaryngeal chordoma: a case report.

Chordomas are rare, malignant, slowly growing neoplasms which develop from vestigial remnants of the fetal notochord. Most chordomas arise in the sacrococcygeal and spheno-occipital region. Extranotochordal chordomas are extremely unusual. A case of extranotochordal chordoma with extralaryngeal localization is described. A 73-year-old male presented with swallowing difficulties and hoarseness. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the neck revealed a well-encapsulated tumor mass that was well enhanced and located in the left retrolaryngeal space at the level of C4, dislocating the larynx to the right. Left radical neck dissection and tumor extirpation were performed. The tumor had not invaded cervical vertebra and the surrounding soft tissue but superficial erosions of the ossificated thyroid and cricoid cartilage were found. High-power pathologic examination and immunohistochemistry defined the lesion as a dedifferentiated type of chordoma. The patient received adjuvant radiotherapy. Four years after the surgery, the patient has been free from tumor recurrence.

Prognostic significance of DNA cytometry in combination with AgNOR investigation.

CONCLUSION: While most results concerning DNA and nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) parameters fit with previous studies, the percentage of aneuploidy looks like a promising prognostic parameter. The observed intratumoral heterogeneity could represent a possible source of conflicting and inconsistent results. OBJECTIVES: The aims of our study were to determine the prognostic relevance of different DNA and AgNOR parameters in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and compare these findings with established prognostic factors including tumor stage and grade, as well as the detection of possible intratumoral heterogeneity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sections from 62 laryngeal SCCs were analyzed for DNA content, DNA index, S-phase, percentage of aneuploidy, and AgNOR. Of 62 samples, 31 morphologically similar tumor samples were analyzed for the same parameters in three different tumor areas defined as tumor center, invasive tumor margin, and transformation margin between tumor and normal-appearing mucosa. RESULTS: Our study showed that DNA and AgNOR parameters correlated with T stage, lymph node involvement, and histologic grade regardless of tumor areas. Significant correlation was found between mean number of AgNOR per nucleus and percentage of aneuploidy. Clinical stage and percentage of aneuploidy correlated with survival (p<0.02). Heterogeneity DNA study revealed aneuploidy in central portions of 90% of tumors, while in margins aneuploidy was demonstrated in about half of the patients.

[Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of the larynx--a case report and literature review]. / Pleomorfni rabdomiosarkom grkljana: prikaz bolesnika i pregled literature.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a very rare malignant tumor of the larynx which can present in a number of histologic variants. The pleomorphic variant of the tumor has been described in 16 patients to date. Being a rarity, rhabdomyosarcoma is as a rule managed according to the principle of treatment for malignant mesenchymal tumors of the head and neck, and includes radical surgery with postoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. A case is presented of a pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of the vocal cord. Successfully treated by endoscopic CO2 laser cordectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy and 6-year uneventful follow up.

["De re publica otorhinolaryngologica]. / "De re publica otorhinolaryngologica".

"De re publica otorhinolaryngologica" is the title of the article by Ante Sercer published in Lijecnicki vjesnik in 1941, five years after the moving of the Ear, Nose and Throat Department to Salata. In this paper he elaborated his conception of a modern ENT department, and presented what had been done in this regard. Professor Dragutin Masek had a special merit in founding the Department in 1921, and stayed at its head till 1929. His successor prompted its moving from the building of elementary school in Draskoviceva Street to Salata, where other departments of the School of Medicine in Zagreb were situated. At the beginning of the 20th century, the issue of the construction of a territorial hospital which would serve as the University Hospital of the future School of Medicine emerged. Our ancestors showed great enthusiasm in overcoming the obstacles to the construction of the University Hospital in Salata. We chose only a small number of important facts by which we tried to demonstrate of the Department in the period in which the heads after D. Masek and A. Sercer were Branimir Gusic and Zvonimir Krajina. The most important current activities of the Department are further briefly described. Although the Department developed the programs which naturally follow from the respectable history, in agreement with creative potentials of its employees, and professional and scientific standards within the European Union, for the third time in the modem history we had to resists the unacceptable moving into restricted and unfavorable settings at the other location. Recently, plans of building the "eastern comb" on Rebro, and the moving of the Department to Rebro, have been offered. On several occasions the council of our Department gave negative evaluation of these plans and suggested solutions when the project became available "post hoc". Modest investments at the present location would provide the Department with a part of necessary conditions for further continuing development, appropriate to its impressive historical development and current value in Croatian, European and world otorhinolaryngology. It is well known that only the experts in a profession know the specific determinants and developmental requirements in their field. By defending its rights and duty to influence the design of developmental directions of the specialty, the Department has also today shown that it is worthy its past.

Inverted sinonasal papilloma--a report of 31 cases and review of the literature.

Inverted papilloma is an epithelial neoplasm of the lateral nasal wall and adjacent sinuses characterized by a marked propensity for recurrence and a significant association with carcinoma. In this retrospective study we present 31 cases treated by our departments between 1982 and 1999. The aim was to compare our results to those of other authors especially regarding surgical management. The male to female ratio of these patients was 2:1 and most patients were in the 6th and 7th decades of life. Conservative surgery was used in most cases as the initial treatment. The overall recurrence rate was low and there were 3 cases associated with carcinoma. We conclude that the results of conservative surgery in selected cases are comparable to those using radical methods. A review of the literature is presented and particular attention is dedicated to the literature concerning analysis of p53 expression, HPV and Epstein-Barr infection and apoptosis in inverted papilloma.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the larynx: report of three cases.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the larynx is very rare, with only a few individual cases or studies in small patient groups reported in the literature. Treatment modalities for this type of carcinoma are not uniform; in addition, errors in the recognition and pathologic diagnosis are not uncommon. During the period 1991-2000, 771 cases of malignant laryngeal tumours were recorded and histologically verified at the University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, three of them were mucoepidermoid supraglottic carcinomas. The experience acquired in the treatment of these tumours is presented along with a review of the literature.

Videofluoroscopy of the swallowing act after partial supraglottic laryngectomy by CO(2) laser.

The evaluation of functional deglutition in patients after partial supraglottic laryngectomy by CO(2) laser was performed by videofluoroscopy of the swallowing act. We studied 20 patients in PA and LL projections, and the swallowing act, at 25 frames per s, was captured on videotape. Aspiration was found in six patients, four of whom had manifest clinical symptoms of aspiration. Four patients had post-deglutitive, one intra-deglutitive and one both intra- and post-deglutitive aspiration. Other swallowing disturbances or structural deformities were not detected. Dynamic radiological studies of swallowing, such as videofluoroscopy of the swallowing act, can provide valuable information regarding functional results after surgical procedures in the upper aerodigestive tract. Our encouraging results prove the validity of partial supraglottic laryngectomy by CO(2) laser as a method of treatment for carcinoma of the larynx.

Correlation between the minimal cross-sectional area of the nasal cavity and body surface area: preliminary results in normal patients.

Nasal symptoms often are inconsistent with rhinoscopic findings. However, the proper diagnosis and treatment of nasal pathology requires an objective evaluation of the narrow segments of the anterior part of the nasal cavities (minimal cross-sectional area [MCSA]). The problem is that the value of MCSA is not a unique parameterfor the entire population, but rather it is a distinctive valuefor particular subject (or smaller groups of subjects). Consequently, there is a need for MCSA values to be standardized in a simple way that facilitates the comparison of results and the selection of our treatment regimens. We examined a group of 157 healthy subjects with normal nasal function. A statistically significant correlation was found between the body surface area and MCSA at the level of the nasal isthmus and the head of the inferior turbinate. The age of subjects was not found a statistically significant predictor for the value of MCSA. The results show that the expected value of MCSA can be calculated for every subject based on anthropometric data of height and weight.

Application of 3D computer-assisted techniques to sinonasal pathology--case report: war wounds of paranasal sinuses caused by metallic foreign bodies.

Foreign bodies in paranasal sinuses are found quite infrequently. They are usually detected after various types of head trauma and most commonly occur as a consequence of improper handling of firearms or explosives. In countries at war, eg, during the war in Croatia, adults and children were almost equally exposed to these injuries. The diagnosis should be based on results from precise computer tomography (CT) scanning in axial and coronal sections, and, using these data, tissues of different densities at these anatomical locations can be differentiated. The possibility of exact preoperative, noninvasive visualization of the spatial relationships of anatomic and pathologic structures with 3-dimensional (3D) computer-assisted diagnosis and intraoperative navigational techniques allows the surgeon to achieve a considerable advantage in the preoperative examination of the patient and to reduce the risk of intraoperative complications, all by the use of virtual surgery (VS) or virtual diagnosis. The expected contribution of the mentioned computer-assisted surgical technique manifests itself in defining the most appropriate mode of CT scanning of the head to design the 3D operating field model, and the possibility of active and dynamic 3D visualization of the desired anatomical regions is realized. 3D reconstruction of anatomic units becomes a routine preoperative procedure, providing a highly useful and informative visualization of the regions of interest, and, thus, advancing the definition of geometric information on anatomical contours of the 3D model by the transfer of so-called image pixel to contour pixel.

Dynamic 3D computer-assisted reconstruction of a metallic retrobulbar foreign body for diagnostic and surgical purposes. [Case report of orbital injury with ethmoid bone involvement].

The main goal of our dynamic 3D computer-assisted reconstruction of a metallic retrobulbar foreign body following orbital injury with ethmoid bone involvement was to use 3D-information obtained from standard computed tomography (CT) data to explore and evaluate the nasal cavity, ethmoidal sinuses, retrobulbar region, and the foreign body itself by simulated dynamic computed visualization of the human head. A foreign body, 10 x 30 mm in size, partially protruded into the posterior ethmoidal cells and partially into the orbit, causing dislocation and compression of the medial rectus muscle and inferior rectus muscle. The other muscles and the optic nerve were intact. Various steps were taken to further the ultimate diagnosis and surgery. Thin CT sections of the nasal cavity, orbit and paranasal sinuses were made on a conventional CT device at a regional medical center, CT scans were transmitted via a computer network to different locations, and special views very similar to those seen on standard endoscopy were created. Special software for 3D modeling, specially designed and modified for 3D C-FESS purposes, was used, as well as a 3D-digitizer connected to the computer and multimedia navigation through the computer during 3D C-FESS. Our approach achieves the visualization of very delicate anatomical structures within the orbit in unconventional (non-standard) sections and angles of viewing, which cannot be obtained by standard endoscopy or 2D CT scanning. Finally, virtual endoscopy (VE) or a 'computed journey' through the anatomical spaces of the paranasal sinuses and orbit substantially improves the 3D C-FESS procedure by simulating the surgical procedure prior to real surgery.