RESUMO
PURPOSE: Middle turbinate (MT) surgery is extremely common during endoscopic sinus surgery procedures, though no agreement exists on which techniques provide the best outcomes. This PRISMA-compliant systematic review aims to assess which MT surgery technique yields the least postoperative adverse effects and the best objective and subjective outcomes. METHODS: A comprehensive search criteria was conducted in multiple databases up to July 3, 2023, to identify studies reporting surgical treatments of the MT. After screening and quality assessment, 14 articles were included for analysis. Data on patients demographics, surgical approaches, postoperative treatment and follow-up, objective and subjective outcomes were extracted and reviewed. RESULTS: Out of 173 unique papers identified, 14 articles met the inclusion criteria, predominantly randomized controlled trials (n = 9). Antero-inferior middle turbinectomy was the predominant surgical approach. Most studies evaluated results with postoperative endoscopy, a superior outcome was documented in the intervention group (ten out of eleven cases). In four out five studies using the SNOT-22, the treatment group was associated with a statistically significant improvement. Olfactory questionnaires highlighted superior olfactory outcome in two out of three studies. The UPSIT score revealed no significant difference between groups. Objective olfactory assessments favored treatment groups in both studies utilizing olfactometry. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that a partial MT surgical approach consistently yields subjective and objective improvements compared to conservative measures, also suggesting a positive impact on smell function. Despite it appears that better outcomes with fewer complications are consistently achieved with partial techniques, it remains challenging identifying which partial technique surpasses the others, due to significant heterogeneity among the studies.
RESUMO
Preoperative embolization of carotid paraganglioma is increasingly used to reduce the risk of surgical bleeding obtaining a more precise and extensive tumor resection. Currently the technique can be customized in consideration of the different tumor angioarchitecture, thanks to embolic materials with different vascular penetration: solid particles of polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA), histoacryl glue, and liquid polymer (Onyx(®)). Two cases of swelling dissection with volume progression over time came to our observation. Both patients (45 and 70-year-old women) were studied with neck ultrasound imaging and computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance (MR). In both cases the radiological investigations confirmed the clinical suspicion of carotid paraganglioma. Both patients were sent for angiography control and preoperative devascularization of the lesion. The treatment was performed under general anesthesia using, depending on the type of tumor vasculature, in case 1 solid particles of PVA and histoacryl glue, and in case 2 Onyx(®) (Covidien, Irvine). The patients successfully underwent excision of the lesion via cervicotomy within a week from the embolization procedure, without any complications. The histological findings confirmed the diagnosis of chemodectoma, and macrophage infiltrates were seen in the regions previously embolized. At one-year follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrent disease. The preoperative embolization of vascular lesions of the neck represents a safe technique that yields the best results when customized over the type of vascularization of the lesion, enabling the use of the most appropriate materials, depending on the case to be treated.
