RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Pharyngocutaneous fistula is a well-known complication of head and neck cancer surgery.The purpose of this study was to determine the value of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the treatment of these fistulas. NPWT is used in many fields of medicine, but its use in otorhinolaryngology has been rarely reported. NPWT is a cost-effective means to accelerate wound healing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A single-centre retrospective study was conducted on 7 patients with pharyngo-cutaneous fistula following surgery for squamous cell carcinoma between January 2011 and April 2013.These fistulas were treated by negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT). RESULTS: This series comprised seven male patients with a mean age of 65 years and 9 months. The mean duration of treatment was 23 days (range: 11 to 42 days). Two patients had a history of radiotherapy for pharyngolaryngeal cancer. Negative-pressure wound therapy achieved cure of the fistula in all patients with satisfactory acceptability. Mean follow-up was 10 months (range: 6 months to 2 years). CONCLUSION: Negative-pressure wound therapy represents a valuable treatment option in certain settings for the management of pharyngocutaneous fistula following head and neck cancer surgery.
Assuntos
Fístula Cutânea/terapia , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/cirurgia , Tratamento de Ferimentos com Pressão Negativa , Doenças Faríngeas/terapia , Complicações Pós-Operatórias , Fístula do Sistema Respiratório/terapia , Idoso , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/cirurgia , Fístula Cutânea/etiologia , Seguimentos , Humanos , Laringectomia , Masculino , Doenças Faríngeas/etiologia , Faringectomia , Fístula do Sistema Respiratório/etiologia , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Seasickness occurs when traveling on a boat: symptoms such as vomiting are very disturbing and may be responsible for discontinuing travel or occupation and can become life-threatening. The failure of classical treatment to prevent seasickness has motivated this retrospective study exploring optokinetic stimulation in reducing these symptoms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Experimental training of 75 sailors with optokinetic stimulation attempted to reduce seasickness manifestations and determine the factors that could predict accommodation problems. RESULTS: Eighty percent of the trained subjects were able to return on board. No predictive factors such as sex, occupation, degree of illness, number of treatment sessions, time to follow-up, and age were found to influence training efficacy. CONCLUSION: Optokinetic stimulation appears to be promising in the treatment of seasickness. Nevertheless, statistically significant results have yet to demonstrate its efficacy.
