Thyroid Cartilage Compression Causing Bow Hunter's Syndrome.

Objectives And Methods: We report a unique case of Bow Hunter's syndrome with a dominant aberrantly coursing right vertebral artery (VA), presenting with persistent dizziness and syncope despite previous decompressive surgery at vertebral levels C5-C6.

Results: Re-evaluation with computed tomography-scan during provocation of dizziness by neck rotation revealed compression of the right VA at level C6 from against the ipsilateral posterior border and superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage. Laryngoplasty resulted in complete resolution of symptoms.

Susac syndrome complicating a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In 2020 the world was captivated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Current scientific evidence suggests an interaction of SARS-CoV-2 and the human immune system. Multiple cases were reported of patients with COVID-19 presenting with encephalopathy, confusion or agitation, stroke, and other neurologic symptoms.

Hypercalcemia induced pancreatitis as a rare presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory process of the pancreas. It is a relatively common cause of acute upper abdominal pain and is potentially associated with high morbidity and mortality. Underlying hypercalcemia as a cause of AP is very rare.

Predicting the Premorbid Shape of a Diseased Mandible.

Objectives/hypothesis: Virtual surgical planning (VSP) for reconstructions of advanced mandibular neoplasms that have distorted the contour of the mandible is challenging, as the premorbid shape of the mandible is unknown. We introduce a novel modeling technique, based on a statistical shape model (SSM), that has learned the shape of a normal mandible from a set of 84 mandibles, such that given a diseased mandible, the model can determine its premorbid shape.

Methods: Eighty-four control mandibles were used to generate an SSM.

Salivary duct carcinoma.

Purpose Of Review: The review puts new information on geno- and phenotype of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) in the perspective of the updated 2017 WHO classification.

Recent Findings: The proportion of SDC is increasing. This may be because of a true rise in incidence, but certainly to better diagnostic tests and changed WHO definitions.

Up-front and Salvage Transoral Robotic Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer: A Belgian Multicenter Retrospective Case Series.

Introduction/aim: We analyzed the functional and oncologic outcomes of primary and salvage transoral robotic surgery (TORS) procedures, performed in three Belgian institutions with a similar philosophy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 86 patients who underwent TORS between 24-12-2009 and 25-09-2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Descriptive statistics, overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS; Kaplan-Meier), and the variation of these outcomes according to whether patients had primary or salvage TORS were evaluated (univariate log-rank analysis).

Congenital laryngeal cyst: an unusual cause of stridor in the neonate.

Background: Congenital laryngeal cysts are a rare, but potentially fatal, cause of airway obstruction in infants and children. Most laryngeal cysts are acquired. Here, we describe a congenital laryngeal cyst, its treatment, and its presentation immediately after birth.

Transaxillary robotic thyroidectomy: Belgian team learning from the first 50 cases.

Background: In search for less invasive operative techniques, the da Vinci Robot System was introduced in thyroid surgery. Previous studies have reported on safety, effectiveness and improved cosmetics of transaxillary endoscopic thyroidectomy procedures in selected cases.

Methods: We report on the first 50 patients that have been treated with a gasless transaxillary robot-assisted thyroidectomy in a Belgian institution.

A randomized, open-label, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy of peginterferon alfa-2a versus interferon alfa-2a, in combination with ribavirin, in naïve and relapsed chronic hepatitis C patients.

Background/aims: A large multicenter trial to compare the efficacy of peginterferon alfa-2a with interferon alfa-2a, in combination with ribavirin, in chronic hepatitis C patients. Efficacy data for prior relapsers are reported because treatment recommendations for this patient population are not well defined.

Patients And Methods: This study was a multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial.