Endoscopic surgical treatment of sinonasal polyposis-medium term outcomes (mean follow-up of 5 years).

BACKGROUND: Between 30 and 50% of patients with sinonasal polyposis (SNP) will require surgical treatment. OBJECTIVE: To determine the medium term risks and benefits of endonasal ethmoidectomy in SNP. METHOD: 132 cases of SNP have been retrospectively studied before and after endoscopic nasal surgery with a mean follow-up of 5 years. Functional symptoms and appearances on endoscopic examination were recorded on graded scales. Non-parametric statistical analyses for matched series were used in the assessment of data. RESULTS: Post-operative normalisation of nasal function was obtained in 62% of cases. Each of the four main nasal symptoms (nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea, facial pain and anosmia) was improved (p = 0.001). Patients with associated asthma or ASA triad had higher scores for nasal obstruction and rhinorrhoea (Fisher's exact test; p < 0.02). The pre-operative clinical stage of SNP correlated neither with recurrence nor with functional outcomes (Fisher's exact test; p > 0.05). The requirement for steroid treatment of concurrent asthma was also reduced post-operatively (p = 0.001). The association with asthma and its level of treatment was not related to the frequency of recurrence of SNP (Chi2; p > 0.6). CONCLUSIONS: Functional outcomes for patients with SNP and asthma were significantly improved by endoscopic surgical treatment, even if the appearance of the nasal mucosa did not always return to normal.

[Substernal goiter. Report of 212 cases]. / Les goitres plongeants. A propos de 212 cas.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this retrospective study was to report the results of the surgical treatment in a series of 210 patients operated on for substernal goiters. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From 1982 to 1996, 210 patients with substernal goiters, including 80% of women, were operated on via a cervical approach in 208 cases, via a sternotomy in two cases. Two patients with operative contra-indications were not operated on. Twenty-five were operated on for a substernal recurrence of a goiter. In 160 cases, extraction of the substernal portion was easy. In 48 cases, removal of the substernal portion was facilitated by the discovery of the recurrent nerve at its entering into the larynx and a downward dissection of the tracheal attachments of the lobe. The complete dissection of the cervical portion made easier the ascension of the substernal portion even in very large substernal components. RESULTS: Three papillary carcinomas were diagnosed. A transient laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 7.2% of the patients and a transient hypoparathyroidism in 13.4%, A definitive laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 1.2% of the patients, and a persistent hypoparathyroidism in 2.1%. Of the 25 patients who underwent surgery for recurrence of a goiter, three (12%) developed a transient laryngeal nerve palsy, one (4%) a permanent nerve palsy, four (20%) a transient hypoparathyroidism and one (4%) a persistent hypocalcemia. CONCLUSION: CT scan and MRI are the best explorations to evaluate intrathoracic extension of substernal goiters. Thyroidectomy was performed via a cervical incision in 208 patients and via a sternotomy in two patients only. The complete dissection of the cervical portion with discovery of the recurrent nerve at its entering into the larynx, facilitates the ascension of the substernal portion even in very large substernal goiters.

[Imaging of the hypopharynx, oropharynx and parapharyngeal spaces]. / Imagerie du pharyngolarynx, de l'oropharynx et des espaces parapharyngés.

Progress in upper aerodigestive imaging improved pathologic staging and therapeutic choices. Imaging, especially CT scan is now indispensable for staging the upper aerodigestive cancers. Some anatomic areas must be explored with special attention because of their importance for therapeutic decision.