Facial nerve dysfunction after superficial parotidectomy with or without continuous intraoperative electromyographic neuromonitoring: a prospective randomized pilot study.

Purpose: There are no randomized trials comparing the incidence or severity of facial nerve dysfunction after superficial parotidectomy with or without continuous intraoperative electromyographic neuromonitoring. This pilot study aimed to assess the variability in outcomes to help determine the needs and possible ethical issues in a full-scale study.

Methods: Prospective randomized pilot study comparing the incidence and grade of facial nerve dysfunction among 106 patients subjected to superficial parotidectomy with or without continuous four channels electromyographic neuromonitoring (52 monitored patients and 54 controls).

Efficacy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration performed by surgeons newly trained in thyroid ultrasound.

Background: There are a growing number of thyroid ultrasound courses to train endocrinologists, pathologists, and surgeons to perform ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA). However, there are limited data to support the efficacy of ultrasound-guided FNA performed by nonradiologists.

Methods: We compared the efficacy of ultrasound-guided FNA performed by surgeons newly trained in thyroid ultrasound with that of the same technique performed by 1 experienced radiologist.

Partial laryngectomy in glottic cancer: complications and oncological results.

Introduction: Most patients with laryngeal carcinoma present tumors in the glottis that can be treated by different treatment modalities. Some authors consider open partial laryngectomy as obsolete, while others still deem this as a viable and cost-efficient option.

Objectives: To compare the oncological and functional results of a series of patients undergoing partial laryngectomy vs.

[Repeated fine-needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis and follow-up of thyroid nodules].

Introduction: The recently-proposed Bethesda reporting system has offered clinical recommendations for each category of reported thyroid cytology, including repeated fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for non-diagnostic and atypia/follicular lesions of undetermined significance, but there are no sound indications for repeated examination after an initial benign exam.

Objective: To investigate the clinical validity of repeated FNA in the management of patients with thyroid nodules.

Method: The present study evaluated 412 consecutive patients who had repeated aspiration biopsies of thyroid nodules after an initial non-diagnostic, atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance, or benign cytology.

Cervicomastoidfacial versus modified rhytidectomy incision for benign parotid tumors.

Unlabelled: The modified rhytidectomy incision is an alternative to the classic cervicomastoidfacial approach for parotid surgery, camouflaging the scar in barely visible areas, resulting in better cosmesis. However, there are very few studies comparing the incidence of complications and functional results of patients submitted to parotidectomy through these two different approaches.

Objective: Compare the incidence of complications and functional results of patients with benign parotid neoplasms submitted to surgery through the classical incision versus the modified rhytidectomy approach.

Applicability of immediate, late or serial intact parathyroid hormone measurement following total thyroidectomy.

Unlabelled: Hypocalcemia is the most common complication after total thyroidectomy. Intact parathyroid hormone (i-PTH) testing is a proven effective method to detect patients at risk for postoperative symptomatic hypocalcemia. However, there is still uncertainty as to the timing of i-PTH testing in a clinical setting.

Pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade as a form of presentation of primary hypothyroidism.

The authors describe a case of pericardial effusion accompanied by cardiac tamponade caused by primary hypothyroidism. Diagnosis was made by exclusion, because other causes of cardiac tamponade are more frequent. Emergency treatment of cardiac tamponade is pericardiocentesis (with possible pericardial window), and, after stabilization, performance of hormonal reposition therapy with L-thyroxin.