Changes in hospital admissions for facial fractures during and after COVID 19 pandemic: national multicentric epidemiological analysis on 2938 patients.

PURPOSE: The objective of this multicenter study was to examine the differences in maxillo-facial fractures epidemiology across the various phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. METHODS: This is a retrospective study on patients who underwent surgery for facial bone fractures in 18 maxillo-facial surgery departments in Italy, spanning from June 23, 2019, to February 23, 2022. Based on the admission date, the data were classified into four chronological periods reflecting distinct periods of restrictions in Italy: pre-pandemic, first wave, partial restrictions, and post-pandemic. Epidemiological differences across the groups were analysed. RESULTS: The study included 2938 patients. A statistically significant difference in hospitalization causes was detected between the pre-pandemic and first wave groups (p = 0.005) and between the pre-pandemic and partial restriction groups (p = 0.002). The differences between the pre- and post-pandemic groups were instead not significant (p = 0.106). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the number of patients of African origin was significantly higher during the first wave and the post-pandemic period. No statistically significant differences were found across the periods concerning gender, age, fracture type, treatment approach, and hospital stay duration CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in fracture epidemiology, influenced by the restrictive measures enforced by the government in Italy. Upon the pandemic's conclusion, the fracture epidemiology returned to the patterns observed in the pre-pandemic period.

Video-Assisted Cleft Palate Surgery: Preclinical Comparison Between Endoscope- and Exoscope-Based Approaches.

Using both endoscope and exoscope in cleft soft palate surgery is not widespread, despite the potential advantages related to view magnification, ergonomic posture of the surgeon, and involvement of the surgical team.The aim of the current study is to compare endoscopic (Olympus Visera©) and exoscopic (Karl-Storz Vitom©) assistance in cleft soft palate surgery in a preclinical cadaver setting.A formalin fixed specimen was dissected to mimic the anatomical conditions of a cleft soft palate.Ten young surgeons with limited experience in transoral surgery were involved in the exercitation on the specimen.The exercitation consisted of 4 tasks: (1) device setting; (2) identification of muscle plane; (3) muscle suturing; (4) oral mucosa suturing.Participants were timed while performing each task both with exoscope and endoscope and asked to fill in 2 questionnaires related to the visual systems used (NASA Task Load System TLS and VAS 1-10).All surgeons completed the 4 tasks with both the endoscope and exoscope. The execution times were similar except for faster setting of the exoscope. Participants felt that completing surgical exercises using the exoscope required less physical, intellectual, and temporal efforts compared to the endoscope. The exoscope was also more appreciated for its handling, 3D visualization, and limited encumbrance.Exoscope scored better both at NASA TLS and VAS 1-10 and required a faster setting than endoscope. Further clinical in-vivo studies are required to explore the advantages of these devices in cleft palate repair.

Multidisciplinary Management of an Orbitocranial Penetrating Injury by a Pencil in a Paediatric Patient - A Case Report.

Rationale: Orbitocranial penetrating injuries can accidentally occur in children while handling pencils and can cause severe sequelae such as ocular damage, brain lesion, intracranial haemorrhage, and infections. Patient Concerns: We report the case of a 7-year-old child with an orbitocranial penetrating injury by a pencil, initially gone undetected, that caused a direct damage to the optic nerve. Diagnosis: Computed tomography scan with contrast detected the foreign body and the presence of a lesion of the left internal carotid artery. Treatment: Angiography was performed to treat the vascular lesion and to prevent haemorrhage. Subsequently, a craniotomy was performed to assist the extraction of the pencil from the entry wound and to remove residual fragments. Outcomes: Left eye vision was lost. The 1-year follow-up was uneventful. Take-away Lessons: Operative angiography is mandatory before the surgical extraction of the orbitocranial penetrating injury in case of documented intracranial vessel damage.

Lump on the scalp of a child arising over a previous parietal fracture: growing skull fracture or post-traumatic lipoma?

A young girl was referred to our Institution for the appearance of a painless soft swelling in the right parietal region of the scalp. In the same site, the patient had a parietal bone fracture 1 year ago. In the suspicion of a growing skull fracture, the patient underwent radiological investigations. Ultrasound showed a soft, poorly vascularised swelling with parenchymatous content. The skull X-ray showed an apparent healing of the previous fracture. CT scan and MRI confirmed the correct healing of the fracture and described the presence of a lipomatous mass. The mass was surgically removed and histology confirmed the diagnosis of encapsulated lipoma. The postoperative period was uneventful, with no evidence of infections or recurrence in the 6-month follow-up.

Placement of a customised load-bearing titanium plate for prevention of iatrogenic mandibular fracture in surgical removal of odontogenic keratocyst recurrence.

A 72-year-old woman with a history of removal of a right hemimandibular keratocyst 10 years ago was referred to our attention for a large swelling of the right cheek. The orthopantomography and the CT scan showed a huge osteolytic area of the right mandibular ramus and angle. The patient's refusal to resection and reconstruction with a free flap pushed us towards a conservative treatment. The high probability of a iatrogenic mandibular fracture during and after surgery required the design of a customised titanium plate to be preliminary placed through cervical incision along the posterior border of the mandible. The patient successfully underwent the surgical positioning of the customised plate and subsequent removal of the keratocyst. She was discharged fit and well 5 days after surgery. She did not experience any infections, pathological fractures or relapse in the 6-month follow-up.

Managing head and neck cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of a tertiary referral center in southern Italy.

BACKGROUND: The medical community has been deeply involved in fighting the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and, as a consequence, the care of non-COVID-19 patients has been impacted. However, the treatment of head and neck cancer patients is not deferrable, and an integrated strategy is required. The aim of the current article is to present the experience in the management of head and neck patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at the research hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza". This review contains replicable and widely usable instructions on how to avoid delays in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck tumors and to ensure a gradual return to elective procedures. MAIN TEXT: The Head and Neck Department of the research hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" includes an Otolaryngology and a Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, both of which deal with the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant pathologies of the head and neck, as well as urgent/emergent consultations and surgical procedures that necessitate time sensitive operative management, such as cochlear implantation (CI). Given these premises and the complexity of the Department, the "COVID-19 organizing protocol" of the research hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" was divided into two phases in accordance with the different stages of the pandemic and the priority of treatment. Special attention was given to the medical surveillance of health care workers and hospitalized patients, to the organization of the outpatient clinic and the operating setting as well as to the implementation of telehealth systems. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic is going to be a long-term situation with lasting effects on the public health and the entire society. Therefore, an efficient health care system has to adopt a double strategy: always being ready for a "new wave" of the pandemic and not forgetting non-COVID-19 patients, among whom head and neck cancer patients represent a priority. More than 1 year since the first outbreak in Wuhan, this review offers a unique and helpful perspective that incorporates awareness of the disease.

Adequacy of the Italian National Tariff for Orthognathic Surgery: A Cost Analysis Using the Activity Based Costing (ABC) Method.

ABSTRACT: The reduced economic resources in health care and the consequent spending review have brought great interest in surgical costs. The aim of the study is to determine direct hospital costs for Orthognathic procedures using the Activity based costing method and evaluate the adequacy of the refund provided by the Italian National Health Service. From January 2017 to December 2017 9 consecutive patients underwent the following Orthognathic procedures at IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy): bimaxillary osteotomy (n = 7), Le Fort I osteotomy (n = 1) and Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy (BSSO) (n = 1). Activity based costing was used to obtain costs of each single hospitalization split into surgery, instay, and services. The mean total cost for a bimaxillary osteotomy was 7596.40€. We observed a total cost of 3925.00€ for Le Fort I osteotomy and of 4334.50€ for BSSO. The refund of 4378.00€ provided by the Italian National Health Service system for Orthognathic surgery seems insufficient to cover costs of bimaxillary osteotomy but consistent for single osteotomy (Le Fort I or BSSO).

Italian cost analysis of free flap surgery in head and neck reconstruction using the activity-based costing (ABC).

The aim of the study is to evaluate costs of free flap surgery for head and neck (H & N) reconstructions using the time-driven activity-based costing (ABC) method and to compare them with the refund provided by the Italian National Health System (NHS) amounting to 11,891€. We retrospectively selected 29 consecutive patients underwent free flap reconstruction in 2013 at IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza. Patients were divided into three groups: Group 1 (n = 10) included patients receiving radial forearm free flap (RFFF), Group 2 (n = 10) receiving anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flap, and Group 3 (n = 9) composed of patients having fibular free flap. For each patient, costs were calculated using the ABC and divided into instay, surgical, and services costs. We observed an overall mean total cost of 27,802.40€. The mean costs related to hospital stay were 9,800.70€. The mean costs for surgery were 13,097.60€ and amounted to 4,904.10€ for services. RFFF appears to be less costing (25,175.40€) compared with ALT (29,191.60€) and fibula free flap (29,040.20€). ABC is an appropriate method to determine actual costs of free flap surgery by correctly allocating the resources used. The Italian NHS tariff seems to be inadequate to cover the real cost of this type of surgery.

Use of Buccinator Myomucosal Flap in Tongue Reconstruction.

The myomucosal buccinator flap, first described by Bozola in 1989, has become an important tool for intraoral defects reconstruction. In the literature, there is a variety of proposed myomucosal cheek flaps, both pedicled and island, based on the buccal or the facial arteries. From January 2007 to December 2011, the authors used a pedicled buccinator flap based posteriorly on the buccal artery to reconstruct partial lingual defects following tumor resection in 27 patients. The buccal fat pad was translated to cover the donor site defect. After 3 to 4 weeks from the original surgery, a second procedure under local anesthesia was performed to detach the pedicle and remodel the flap. The morphological and functional outcomes of the procedures were evaluated by the surgeons and a speech and language therapist. All patients presented satisfactory results. The authors consider the use of the described technique as the gold standard in the reconstruction of partial tongue defects after tumor resection.

Regional flaps in head and neck reconstruction: a reappraisal.

PURPOSE: Starting from our experience with 45 consecutive cases of regional pedicled flaps, we have underlined the effectiveness and reliability of a variety of flaps. The marketing laws as applied to surgical innovations are reviewed to help in the understanding of why regional flaps are regaining wide popularity in head and neck reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2009 to January 2014, 45 regional flaps were harvested at San Paolo Hospital to reconstruct head and neck defects. These included 35 pectoralis major muscular and myocutaneous flaps, 4 lower trapezius island or pedicled flaps, 3 supraclavicular flaps, 2 latissimus dorsi pedicled flaps, and 1 fasciocutaneous temporal flap. The basic literature of marketing regarding the diffusion of new products was also reviewed. RESULTS: Two myocutaneous pectoralis major flaps were complicated by necrosis of the cutaneous paddle (one complete and one partial). No complete loss of any of the 45 flaps was observed. At 6 months of follow-up, 2 patients had died of multiple organ failure after prolonged sepsis. The 43 remaining patients had acceptable morphologic and functional results. CONCLUSIONS: Regional and free flaps appear to compete in many cases for the same indications. From the results of the present case series, regional flaps can be considered reliable reconstructive choices that are less expensive than their free flap alternatives. The "resurrection" of regional flaps can be partially justified by the changes in the global economy and the required adaptation of developed and developing countries.