Ultrasound analysis of the upper esophageal sphincter during swallowing in the healthy subject.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology and standard settings for ultrasound study of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) during swallowing.

Material And Methods: This was a prospective study of 25 healthy volunteers (15 women and 10 men) aged 20 to 56 years. Neck ultrasonography was performed as each volunteer swallowed 10 mL of water three times.

Late metastasis from renal cell carcinoma to the thyroid and nasal cavity: report of a case.

Multifocal cervico-facial metastases are very rare. Medical history of the patient and clinical context make easier the diagnosis. A 54-year-old woman presenting with a nasal obstruction, was referred to our department.

Hypopharyngeal perforation: an unusual complication of transesophageal echocardiography.

Physicians frequently use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for clinical cardiology and during surgery. It is considered a safe procedure, and only a few cases of complications have been reported in the literature. We present the case of a 78-year-old man who experienced a perforation of the hypopharynx following TEE.

Thyroid gland invasion in laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: prevalence, endoscopic and CT predictors.

Objectives: The authors studied the prevalence of histological thyroid gland invasion in laryngopharyngeal cancer and the preoperative endoscopic and CT signs predictive of this invasion.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective study of patients with laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (T3 and T4) treated by total laryngectomy or total laryngopharyngectomy associated with concomitant total thyroidectomy or ipsilateral lobectomy and isthmectomy.

Results: Eighty-seven patients were included.

[Metastatic melanoma to the oropharynx].

Introduction: Metastatic mucosal melanoma to the oropharyngeal area is extremely rare. Only 0.6% to 3% of patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma will have metastases to the mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Pharyngeal swallowing sound profile assessed after partial and total laryngectomy.

Recently, we described three components of a normal pharyngeal swallowing sound. The aim of the present study was to identify variations of these components using synchronized acoustic-radiological data in partially laryngectomized (PL) and totally laryngectomized (TL) patients before and after surgery. In this prospective study, from January 2003 to December 2006 we enrolled 14 patients in a PL group and 9 patients in a TL group.

Cholesterol granuloma of the maxillary sinus.

Introduction: Cholesterol granuloma (CG) can be found in several areas of the body. Maxillary sinus localization is considered rare.

Case Report: A 37-year-old male presented with acute febrile sinusitis.

Indications of cricohyoidoepiglottopexy versus anterior frontal laryngectomy: the role of contralateral vocal fold spread.

Background: The aim of the retrospective study was to compare the indications, the postoperative outcomes, and the survival of the supracricoid laryngectomy with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy and the anterior frontal laryngectomy.

Method: Nineteen patients who underwent cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (group I) and 23 patients who underwent reconstructive anterior frontal laryngectomy (group II) from January 1992 and December 2004 have been reviewed. We have compared their respective indications and postoperative outcomes.

[Swallowing sound signal: description in normal and laryngectomized subjects].

Objectives: Recently, we described three sound components in the pharyngeal swallowing sound. The aim of the present study was to identify the origin of these components using modern techniques providing numeric, synchronized acoustic-radiological data in a normal population and in a partial supracricoid laryngectomized population (SCL group) and a total laryngectomized (TL group) population in pre- and postoperative situations.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 15 normal subjects (10 men and five women; mean age, 29.

[Cavernous hemangioma of the nasal cavity].

Objectives: To study the circumstances of diagnosis, imaging techniques and therapeutic management of cavernous hemangioma of the nasal cavity.

Material And Method: We report the case of a 60-year-old woman, who presented epistaxis CT scan and nasal obstruction.

Results: Rhinoscopy showed a purplish, regular mass that filled the left nasal cavity.

[Subglottic stenosis in Wegener's granulomatosis].

Objective: Describe the management of subglottic stenosis in a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis.

Material And Method: Case report.

Results: We report the case of a 26-year-old woman who presented Wegener granulomatosis and subglottic stenosis, with renal, skin, oropharyngeal, nasal, and paranasal locations.

Origin of the sound components during pharyngeal swallowing in normal subjects.

The aim of this study was to identify the origin of swallowing sound components by using modern techniques that can provide numeric, synchronized acoustic-radiologic data. We enrolled 15 volunteer subjects (10 men and 5 women, average age = 29.5 +/- 8 years) and used an X-ray camera connected to a video acquisition card to obtain synchronized acoustic-radiologic data (25 images/s).

[Metastasis of renal carcinoma to the thyroid gland].

Introduction: Intrathyroid metastases are uncommon. Clinically, the distinction may be difficult with thyroid malignant tumor.

Case Report: A 76-year-old woman was referred to our department for an evaluation of a dysphonia.

Expression of sex steroid hormone receptors in C cell hyperplasia and medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Previous studies have shown that C cells are twice as numerous in male than in female thyroids and that C cell hyperplasia (CCH) is much more frequent in men. These findings suggest regulation involving sex steroid hormones through the expression of sex steroid hormone receptors on C cells. To investigate this hypothesis, we performed an immunohistochemical study of estrogen receptors alpha (ER alpha) and beta (ER beta), progesterone receptors (PR), and androgen receptors (AR) on specimens from a series of 40 patients operated on for a medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC; n=28; female 18, male 10) and/or CCH (n=19; female 6, male 13).

Sound component duration of healthy human pharyngoesophageal swallowing: a gender comparison study.

Cervical auscultation is a noninvasive technique for studying swallowing that was first used in the 1960s. The aim of our study was to use the numeric acoustic recording technique for analyzing swallowing sound signals in healthy subjects while they ingested a defined volume and consistency of a specific substance. Twenty males and ten females were included in the study and given 10 ml of a barium suspension to swallow.

[Differenciated thyroid carcinomas with laryngo-tracheal invasion].

Objectives: Analyze the diagnosis and treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinomas with laryngo-tracheal invasion.

Materials And Methods: Among the 117 patients operated for a differentiated thyroid carcinoma in the ENT department of Tours Hospital (France) between January 1990 and December 2003, seven presented laryngo-tracheal invasion and were included in this retrospective study.

Results: Laryngo-tracheal resection resulted in a thyroid cartilage-shaving in two patients.

[Chondrosarcoma of the cricoid].

Objective: Chondrosarcoma of the larynx is a rare neoplasm generally observed on the cricoid. The purpose of this study was to define the most appropriate surgical management depending on tumor extension and histological grade.

Patients And Methods: Three males and one female were treated for chondrosarcoma of the cricoid between 1990 and 2003 in the Ear, Nose and Throat department in Tours, France.

[Extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysm].

Introduction: Extracranial aneurysm of the internal carotid artery is an exceptional finding.

Case Report: An 89-year-old woman consulted for a peritonsillar mass. Physical examination revealed a parapharyngeal pulsatile mass in the oropharynx.

[Metachronous sinonasal squamous-cell carcinoma after pharyngolaryngectomy].

Objective: Three laryngectomized patients developed metachronous sinonasal squamous-cell carcinoma. We reviewed their files to search for clinical features useful for early diagnosis of this localization.

Case Reports: Two of the patients, a textile worker and a food processing worker, had occupation exposure risk factors for sinonasal squamous-cell carcinoma.

[Infectious complications after surgery for hypopharyngeal and laryngeal carcinomas].

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the infectious complications of procedures for carcinoma of the hypopharynx and the larynx to optimize the prevention of septic risks.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 608 patients who underwent total (n=270) or partial (n=338) laryngectomy between 1984 and 1999. The procedures were performed under rigorous conditions of surgical asepsis and with prolonged antibiotic chemotherapy depending on the type of laryngectomy and past history of external radiotherapy.

Retrospective case study of carbon dioxide laser stapedotomy with lens-based and mirror-based micromanipulators.

Most clinical studies on carbon dioxide (CO2) (lambda = 10.6 mm) laser stapedotomy have been carried out with the laser guided by a conventional lens-based micromanipulator, with the attendant risks of correct aiming (HeNe) and surgical (CO2) beam misalignment. Hence, engineering advances have attempted to improve laser targeting as well as the spot size focus.

Massive infra-clinic invasion of the facial nerve by a myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid.

We report a new case of myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland in an 8-year-old girl. This is the first case published in a child. The parotid tumour was slightly tender and measured almost 2 cm in diameter.

[Tracheocele: a rare cause of pharyngeal disorders].

A 40-year-old woman with an uneventful history consulted for an episode of cervical swelling and pharyngeal disorders with sensation of a foreign body. Cervical and ENT examination was normal. The barium swallow showed a normal esophagus and the CT scan showed an air image in the right side of the trachea.

[Hemangiopericytoma of the infratemporalis fossa: a multi-operated patient].

Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) was diagnosed in a 65-year-old man in 1991. Initially the tumor was located in the maxillary sinus. Resection was followed by multiple recurrences involving the infratemporalis fossa (ITF), the nasopharyngeal region, and the right tonsillar region.

[Cervical osteophytes and ENT disease: three surgery cases].

Vertebral cervical hyperostosis is frequent in the general population but is rarely symptomatic. Dysphagia is the most frequently encountered symptom. We report three cases of cervical hyperostosis leading to ENT symptoms.