[Endoscopic treatment of patients with intracranial complications of sinusitis]. / Endoskopowe leczenie chorych z wewnatrzczaszkowymi powiklaniami zapalenia zatok.

INTRODUCTION: Intracranial complications of sinusitis (cerebral, epidural, and subdural abscesses, meningitis, and dural sinus thrombophlebitis) remain a challenging and current topic. Although they are nowadays relatively rare, prompt recognition of these disease states is important to prevent permanent neurological deficit or fatality. Infection may spread hematogenously or by direct extension. Patients with complications require surgery to remove the focus of infection from the sinuses and drain the abscess. Recently, endoscopic frontal and sphenoid sinus surgery has emerged as the preferred technique for the treatment of the most advanced and complicated chronic sinusitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Records of 7 patients aged from 13 to 65 (mean 30.6) years treated in our department for intracranial complications between January 2002 and September 2006 were analysed retrospectively. The diagnosis of meningitis was established in 2 patients, in one case with accompanying bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy. Cavernous sinus thrombosis, frontal abscess with hemiplegia, cerebral oedema, bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy and retrobulbar optic nerve neuritis with blindness was diagnosed each in one individual. 5 endoscopic bilateral frontosphenoethmoidectomies and 2 endoscopic sphenoethmoidectomies were performed. In one case a frontosphenoethmoidectomy was combined with craniotomy. RESULTS: All preoperative symptoms subsided in 4 operated individuals. Vision improved in the patient with bilateral retrobulbar optic nerve neuritis. In patients with hemiplegia and bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy the symptoms persisted. No complications of the surgery were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of the focus of infection in the sinuses can be accomplished endoscopically via an intranasal approach with less morbidity, easy identification of anatomical structures, physiological drainage of the sinuses and superior cosmetic effects.

[Endoscopic treatment of cerebral rhinorrhea]. / Endoskopowe leczenie plynotoku nosowego.

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of different factors causing cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea (CFR) has lately changed. The incidence of iatrogenic CFR has reached 10% of all cases of CFR, due to an increasing number of endoscopic operations of the sinuses and skull base, while idiopathic CFR is nowadays very rare. The current treatment method for CFR is surgical repair of the fistula. Endoscopic surgery of the anterior skull base has become the standard procedure for the repair of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks of various origins. The aim of this study was to analyse results of endoscopic surgical technique used in our department for the treatment of CFR. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Records of 5 patients aged from 46 to 69 (mean 58.2) years treated in the department between April 2004 and March 2006 were analysed retrospectively. 4 individuals had underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for sinus problems which resulted in iatrogenic CSF leak. One patient had idiopathic CFR. 3 fistulas localised in the neighbourhood of the cribriform plate were closed using an "underlay" technique with synthetic dura, and covered with free mucosal grafts from the nasal septum, kept in place by fibrin glue. The fistula in the neighbourhood of the sphenoid sinus posterior wall was closed using an ,,overlay" technique with surgical, covered with synthetic dura. RESULTS: In the 3 patients with cribriform plate fistulas the closure was successful and CFR did not recur during 6 to 9 month's follow-up. In the patient with sphenoid sinus fistula CFR recurred on exertion after 4 months. In one patient with cribriform plate fistula, CFR resolved spontaneously during preparation to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic closure of the skull base fistula represents a minimally invasive and highly successful procedure. Our experience suggests thet the optimal surgical technique in the region of cribriform plate consists in performing an "underlay" procedure with synthetic dura and covering the graft with free mucosal grafts from the nasal septum.

[Self-assessment of the effect of dysphagia on the quality of life in patients after partial laryngectomy for cancer initially located in the supraglottic area]. / Samoocena wplywu dysfagii na poziom jakosci zycia chorych po operacjach czesciowego usuniecia krtani z powodu raka o pierwotnej lokalizacji w pietrze nadglosniowym.

Dysphagia is frequent in patients after partial laryngectomy for cancer initially located in the supraglottic area. To ensure the best quality of life, establishing how the patient feels after treatment is necessary. Therefore, a self-administered questionnaire was designed to evaluate the dysphagia. 95 patients (75 male and 20 women) who were operated in ENT Department CMUJ between 1998-2004 participated in this study. The MDADI questionnaire in the Polish version was used. The subjective evaluation by the patient of dysphagia is directly related to the size of the tumor and the extent of the partial laryngectomy treatment. Patients, whose tumor was located in supraglottic-glottic area, had subtotal laryngectomy m. Miodonski. Their quality of life was significantly worse due to dysphagia than those with tumors located only in the supraglottic area. Swallowing dysfunctionality was significantly greater after the resection of the hyoid bone. Reconstruction of the base of a tongue by a graft of angiopedunculated submandibular gland diminished the difficulties in swallowing. Moreover, the longer the period after treatment, the higher the quality of life becomes because of the improvement in the swallowing functionality.