Facial nerve palsy due to a parotid abscess: Two case reports and a review of literature.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Parotid gland swelling with facial nerve palsy is highly suggestive of a malignancy. Facial nerve palsy is however rarely caused by a parotid abscess. We hereby present two cases, propose treatment and present a review of the literature. CASE PRESENTATION AND CLINICAL DISCUSSION: One 75-year-old female and one 81-year-old female presented with a facial nerve paralysis, both caused by a parotid gland abscess. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and incision and drainage was commenced in both cases. Both patients showed good clinical improvement, however, without facial nerve improvement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed no malignancies at presentation nor during follow-up after one year. CONCLUSION: Facial nerve palsy is rarely caused by a parotid abscess. Incision and drainage in combination with antibiotic treatment is recommended. Chances of facial nerve recovery seem somewhat higher in patients with facial nerve paresis than those with a paralysis.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy to direct treatment in gastric cancer. A systematic review of the literature.

Gastric cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths around the world. The prevalence of early gastric cancer (EGC) among all gastric cancers of 45-51% in Japan, but only 7-28% in Western countries. The prevalence of EGC is growing partly because of better diagnostics and screening programmes. Possible treatment options for EGC treatment are expanded by the introduction of endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection Therefore, detailed knowledge about nodal metastatic risk is warranted. We performed a systematic review of the literature concerning studies investigating the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in EGCr and whether there is enough proof to introduce SLN as a part of treatment for EGC in the Netherlands. Several detection substances (dye or radiocolloid) and injection methods (submucosal or subserosal) are investigated. An overall sensitivity percentage of 85.4% was found. In comparison, high and clinically sufficient percentages were observed for specificity (98.2%), negative predictive value (90.7%) and accuracy (94%). Subgroup analyses showed that the combination of dye and radiocolloid detection substances is the best method for sentinel lymph node detection in early gastric cancer. However, the precise method of sentinel lymph node biopsy in EGC has to be determined further. Large, randomized series should be initiated in Europe to address this issue.