Case of submandibular schwannoma and review of literature.

Schwannomas are slow growing, benign tumours arising from Schwann cells. They are usually solitary and are sometimes associated with Neurofibromatosis type 1 and 2. As reported by Okada et al., while approximately 25%-40% of extra-cranial schwannomas occur in the head and neck region, Schwannomas of the oral cavity are very uncommon, accounting for only 1% of all Schwannomas. We report a case of a sublingual schwannoma in a 47-year-old female, discovered incidentally during the workup for tinnitus. The radiological and histopathological findings, along with a literature review, are presented.

Clinicopathologic Examination of Translucent Refractile Intraluminal Tissue Coagulum From the Proximal Tube of a Baerveldt Glaucoma Drainage Device.

PURPOSE: To describe an unusual case of glaucoma drainage tube blockage. PATIENTS: A 76-year-old woman presented with left endothelial graft failure. Her previous ocular history included primary open-angle glaucoma diagnosed for 15 years and Fuch's endothelial dystrophy. Three years before presentation, the left eye required a Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty followed by a trabeculectomy with mitomycin C and subsequent Baerveldt tube insertion 3 years previously. Intraocular pressures were right 9 and left 19 mm Hg. The endothelial graft demonstrated supra-temporal edema, in proximity to the sulcus placed tube tip. METHODS: A repeat endothelial keratoplasty was undertaken. During surgery, an attempt to flush the tube ab internally with balanced salt solution on a 27-G Rycroft cannula, resulted in extrusion of a long translucent tubular plug from within the silicone tube into the anterior chamber. This was removed with intraocular forceps and sent for histopathology. The endothelial keratoplasty was performed and an air bubble placed in the anterior chamber. RESULTS: The histopathology was reported as fibrinohemorrhagic material associated with refractile material, detected under polarized light microscopy. At 6 months follow-up, the graft was clearing well, the tube in situ and the intraocular pressure 6 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS: One possible cause of the refractile material within the specimen is spalled particles of silicone, presumably from the tube. This finding potentially questions the long-term stability of silicone products in the eye and may be a cause of capsular fibrosis around the glaucoma drainage device plate.

Adult Orbital and Adnexal Xanthogranulomatous Disease.

PURPOSE: Adult xanthogranulomatous disease of the orbit and ocular adnexa is a rare disease that can cause serious morbidity and mortality. Ophthalmologists are commonly the first clinicians to come in contact with affected patients and an understanding of the clinical features is essential. DESIGN: We present a retrospective case series of patients seen in the oculoplastic unit of a large tertiary referral hospital over a 20-year period. METHODS: The clinical files of 7 patients with adult xanthogranulomatous disease of the orbit and ocular adnexa were reviewed. Clinical, radiological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical findings were examined. RESULTS: Periocular clinical features included cutaneous xanthogranulomatous lesions, decreased visual acuity, proptosis, diplopia, skin ulceration, cicatricial ectropion, and mechanical ptosis. Systemic features included adult-onset asthma, disseminated xanthogranulomatous lesions with long bone involvement, and hematological disturbances such as monoclonal gammopathy and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Lipid-laden macrophages and Touton multinucleated giant cells were histological hallmarks in all subtypes. Most lesions were strongly CD8 positive on immunohistochemistry. Radiologically, the lesions were diffuse and infiltrative in nature. Various treatments were employed with varying success including surgical excision, systemic and intralesional corticosteroids, other immunosuppressants, and systemic chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Adult xanthogranulomatous disease of the orbit and ocular adnexa, although rare, may be sight or life threatening. Recognition by the ophthalmologist is critical as periocular features often constitute the initial presentation.

Expression profiling of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with perineural invasion implicates the p53 pathway in the process.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common cancer worldwide and accounts for approximately 30% of all keratinocyte cancers. The vast majority of cutaneous SCCs of the head and neck (cSCCHN) are readily curable with surgery and/or radiotherapy unless high-risk features are present. Perineural invasion (PNI) is recognized as one of these high-risk features. The molecular changes during clinical PNI in cSCCHN have not been previously investigated. In this study, we assessed the global gene expression differences between cSCCHN with or without incidental or clinical PNI. The results of the analysis showed signatures of gene expression representative of activation of p53 in tumors with PNI compared to tumors without, amongst other alterations. Immunohistochemical staining of p53 showed cSCCHN with clinical PNI to be more likely to exhibit a diffuse over-expression pattern, with no tumors showing normal p53 staining. DNA sequencing of cSCCHN samples with clinical PNI showed no difference in mutation number or position with samples without PNI, however a significant difference was observed in regulators of p53 degradation, stability and activity. Our results therefore suggest that cSCCHN with clinical PNI may be more likely to contain alterations in the p53 pathway, compared to cSCCHN without PNI.

Fatal epiglottic abscess after radiotherapy for laryngeal carcinoma.

Acute epiglottitis is a rare condition, especially in adults, largely owing to the widespread vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae. Traumatic epiglottitis as a result of thermal or caustic insults is documented. Epiglottic abscess formation is described as a sequela of epiglottitis in some cases. The development of epiglottic abscess from epiglottitis secondary to radiotherapy has previously been described in the literature; however, there are no reports of fatalities due to epiglottic abscess after radiotherapy. We present an unusual case of an adult sudden death due to epiglottic abscess formation subsequent to radiotherapy for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.