Study of the relation between medial orbitofrontal artery and anterior skull base performed by computed tomography angiography.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to analyze the relationships between the medial orbitofrontal artery (MOFA) and the anterior skull base (ASB) including anatomical endonasal landmarks using computed tomography angiography (CTA). METHODS: We studied 52 CTAs using OsiriX software. All CTAs were placed in the same anatomical position. MOFA was identified in the sagittal and coronal plane and its correlation with ASB was analyzed. The distance between the MOFA and landmarks for endonasal surgery were obtained, determining the high risk areas for its injury. RESULTS: After arising from the anterior cerebral artery, the MOFA dives inferiorly towards the ASB, close to the midline (average distance of 1.5 mm), approaching the planum sphenoidale (average distance of 1.8 mm) and then ascends away from the ASB as it runs anteriorly, with an average distance of 4.4 mm in the region of the anterior wall of the sphenoid sinus and 12 mm in the region of the anterior ethmoid artery. CONCLUSIONS: The MOFA has an intimate relationship with the ASB and nasal cavity; the regions with the highest risk of surgical trauma are between the posterior ethmoid and the planum sphenoidale.

Juvenile angiofibroma: major and minor complications of preoperative embolization.

INTRODUCTION: Juvenile angiofibromas (JA) are highly vascular, benign tumours for which surgery is the treatment of choice. In most services, embolisation is performed prior to resection. Nevertheless, there are few data on the complications of preoperative embolisation for JA. AIM: To describe major and minor complications of preoperative embolisation in a 32-year experience of patients undergoing surgical resection of JA at a tertiary hospital. METHODS: Retrospective chart review study of 170 patients who underwent surgical resection of JA at a tertiary hospital between September 1976 and July 2008. RESULTS: All patients were male. Age ranged from 9 to 26 years. Ninety-one patients had no complications after embolisation. Overall, 105 complication events occurred of which four major and 101 minor. CONCLUSION: In our series, preoperative embolisation for JA produced no irreversible complications and no aesthetic or functional sequelae. The vast majority of complications were transient and amenable to clinical management.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis: a retrospective surgical experience.

OBJECTIVE: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a primary complication of cervical or odontogenical infections that can spread to the mediastinum through the anatomic cervical spaces. We reviewed the last 10 years of our surgical experience in DNM and commented on early diagnosis and aggressive surgical treatment in these patients. METHODS: Five males (71%) and two females (29%), mean age 34 years, with DNM, were surgically treated. Primary oropharyngeal infection occurred in three (43%) and odontogenic abscess in four (57%) patients. All had serious cervical and mediastinal infections with severe respiratory and hemodynamic repercussions, i.e. bacteremia, systemic arterial hypotension and obnubilation. Diagnosis was confirmed by computerized chest tomography. RESULTS: All patients underwent surgical drainage of the cervical region by bilateral transverse cervicotomy with debridement of the necrotic and infected tissues, associating ample mediastinal drainage with or without thoracotomy. Six patients (86%) evolved well and were discharged after a mean of 35 days. Two patients (29%) required reoperation due to local surgical complications: empyema and dehiscence of the sternum. One patient (14%) died on the second postoperative (p.o.) day due to renal and respiratory insufficiency. Cultures of DNM showed the development of associated aerobic and anaerobic flora in 71% of the operated patients and only aerobic in 29%. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis by CAT scan of the neck and thorax aids in rapid indication of a surgical approach of DNM. Performing ample cervicotomy with mediastinal drainage generally associated with thoracotomy can significantly reduce the mortality rate for this condition to 14%.

Spontaneous cervical hematoma: a report of two cases.

Cervical hematomas are generally associated with trauma, surgery, and tumors. Although they are rare, they can be life-threatening because they put the patient at risk for great-vessel compression and upper airway obstruction. We describe two cases of spontaneous cervical hematoma--one in an 81-year-old man and the other in a 30-year-old woman. The man reported dysphonia, dysphagia, and neck swelling of 5 hours' duration. He had been taking 100 mg/day of aspirin for a cardiovascular condition. Examination revealed that the man had polycythemia vera. The woman was found to have neck ache, odynophagia, and cervical ecchymosis; portal hypertension, schistosomiasis, and blood dyscrasia were also found. Both patients denied trauma. A suspected diagnosis of cervical hematoma was confirmed by computed tomography, and treatment was instituted. The hematomas resolved in about 2 weeks. The treatment of cervical hematoma is controversial, although it is agreed that the evaluation of upper airway obstruction and its permeability is mandatory. Surgical treatment is generally reserved for complicated cases because of the risk of infection or bleeding.

Microbiology of sinusitis in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

As a result of increasing use of bone marrow transplantation and new cytotoxic chemotherapy, more patients have become susceptible to sinus disease caused by unusual organisms. Sinusitis caused by fungi and gram-negative bacteria can be difficult to treat, may lead to severe complications, and should be managed promptly in the bone marrow transplant patient. Here we present the results of 41 cultures of the paranasal sinuses obtained from 18 bone marrow transplant patients in whom sinusitis developed. The most common agents were gram-negative bacteria (56.7%), followed by gram-positive bacteria (26.7%) and fungi (16.6%). In 13 samples the cultures were negative. Nasal cultures were performed ipsilateral to the sinus drained in 28 cases. Concordance was obtained in only 5 (17.8%) samples. The antibiogram of the isolated agents from the maxillary sinuses in this series revealed that the most efficient antibiotics were those that covered gram-negative bacteria. Treatment was usually prolonged in these patients, and different antibiotics were necessary to clear infections from the sinuses. In conclusion, treating sinusitis in bone marrow transplant patients may be challenging. Considerations about the microbiology and antibiogram susceptibilities of this specific population should be kept in mind when dealing with such cases.

Olfactory neuroblastoma. A report of 5 cases.

UNLABELLED: The present paper presents 5 cases of olfactory neuroblastoma (NO), showing the problems concerning the diagnosis and treatment. The olfactory neuroblastoma is a rare tumor that represents 1 to 5% of the malignant tumors of the nasal cavity. The wide range of the patient's age associated with variety clinical and histological findings, made the diagnosis often difficult. CONCLUSIONS: neuroblastoma has a difficult diagnosis; the histologic diagnosis should always be complemented by the immunohistochemical investigation; surgical resection with adequate margins is the first treatment on resectable lesions.