External or internal lateral osteotomy: why I choose the external percutaneous approach.

The authors present their surgical experience with the management of patients with dorsum deformities using a precise technique: the external percutaneous approach. The indications for this technique have still not been set out very clearly in the rhinological textbooks or manuals, and so novices (and not only novices) have difficulty in understanding and applying it. We therefore try to systematise and clarify these indications in brief, together with the technical details, providing a comparison with another technique that is in very widespread use at present: the internal lateral osteotomy. Although the external percutaneous approach is not used very often--in our experience in 30% of cases only--we find the results very satisfactory and we recommend it when it is required by the anatomic conditions.

Endonasal endoscopic resection of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.

Juvenile angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare benign but locally aggressive tumour of the nasopharynx that primarily occurs in adolescent males. We report a series of 6 consecutive cases operated by exclusive endoscopic approach between from March 1996 and June 2003. All were male. The mean age was 17.2 years old (range: 11-23 years). The tumour involved the nasopharynx in all the cases (6/6), the sphenoid sinus (3/6) and the medial part of the pterygopalatine fossa (4/6). According to Radkowski's classification (Table 1), one patient was stage Ia, one was stage Ib and four patients were stage IIb. The mean duration of the surgery was 2 hours. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 575 ml despite a preoperative hyperselective embolization. The mean follow-up after the first operation was 67 months. All patients but one were free of disease. One patient had a recurrence in the nasopharynx and sphenoid sinuses requiring a successful revision procedure 3 years after the primary surgery. Another patient presented with a 5 mm non-symptomatic nodule in the pterygopalatine fossa, regressing on MRI during the 4 years following the surgery. In conclusion, endoscopic resection of JNA is a difficult but effective operation in experienced hands. Based upon the recent international literature, endonasal surgery combined with a preoperative embolization of the arterial supply is indicated for small and middle size JNAs but also for large tumours extended to the pterygopalatine fossa and medial aspect of the infratemporal fossa. Minimal intracranial extension is not an absolute contraindication if there is no clinical or radiological involvement of the cavernous sinus. A tridimentional guiding system can be of some help in large tumours.

Thornwaldt's cyst and surgery with powered instrumentation.

Thornwaldt's cyst is a relatively rare lesion located in the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. Most are small and asymptomatic whereas some cause nasal obstruction, postnasal drip, occipital headache or Eustachian tube dysfunction. Nasal endoscopy is the easiest way to visualize this during a routine ENT examination. If in any doubt, MRI is the most sensitive method for detecting and evaluating its size, its anatomic relationships and its content. When the lesion is large, symptomatic or close to the Eustachian tube torus, surgery by marsupialization is the treatment option. For small lesions, the endonasal approach is recommended but for large lesions, a transoral retrovelar approach using a 70 degree telescope is the method of choice. The powered instrumentation with a specific blade for adenoid resection permits large marsupialization with minimal trauma and bleeding and excellent postoperative results. The authors present their experience and review the relevant literature.