Early outcomes of osteofascial versus osteocutaneous fibula free flap mandibular reconstruction.

Background: This study compares early outcomes of osteofascial fibula free flap (OF-FFF) with donor-site primary closure and osteocutaneous (OC) FFF with donor-site skin grafting in segmental mandibular reconstruction.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of FFF mandibular reconstruction patients (2006-2022) divided into OF-FFF and OC-FFF groups. Clinical data, operative parameters, and early postoperative outcomes (≤ 90 days) were analyzed.

Facial Nerve Repair following Acute Nerve Injury.

 Acute facial nerve iatrogenic or traumatic injury warrants rapid management with the goal of reestablishing nerve continuity within 72 hours. However, reconstructive efforts should be performed up to 12 months from the time of injury since facial musculature may still be viable and thus facial tone and function may be salvaged.  Data of all patients who underwent facial nerve repair following iatrogenic or traumatic injury were retrospectively collected and assessed.

Histopathological Characteristics of N1b Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma are Associated with Risk of Recurrence.

Background: The presence of cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis at the initial presentation of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) constitutes an independent risk factor for disease recurrence, increases the risk for mortality, and impacts overall outcome. The 2016 American Joint Committee on Cancer raised the age cutoff for PTC staging from 45 to 55 years for better prediction of overall survival. Age > 55 years is considered a significant risk factor for a more aggressive and advanced disease with worse outcomes.

Accuracy of Pathology Reports on Neck Dissection Specimens: A Retrospective Case Series Study.

Background: Accuracy of the number and location of pathological lymph nodes (LNs) in the pathology report of a neck dissection (ND) is of vital importance.

Objectives: To quantify the error rate in reporting the location and number of pathologic LNs in ND specimens.

Methods: All patients who had undergone a formal ND that included at least neck level 1 for a clinical N1 disease between January 2010 and December 2017 were included in the study.

Achieving negative resection margins in oral cavity cancer with masticator space involvement-Is it feasible? International collaborative study.

Background: Masticator space involvement in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is considered an unresectable disease. Nevertheless, achieving negative resection margins is feasible in limited masticatory space involvement.

Materials And Methods: A multi-institutional study on OCSCC patients with masticator space invasion who underwent surgical resection.

The incidence of postoperative re-stratification for recurrence in well-differentiated thyroid cancer-a retrospective cohort study.

Background: After diagnosing well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC), assessment of the risk for disease-specific recurrence is essential for deciding between hemi-thyroidectomy (HT) and total thyroidectomy (TT). The American Thyroid Association (ATA) 2015 guidelines suggest that patients with 1-4 cm WDTC without suspicious features may be suitable for HT. Patients' preoperatively determined risk levels are re-stratified according to surgical and final histopathological findings.

Skull Base Reconstruction with Multilayered Fascia Lata: A Single-Center 17 Years Experience.

 Reconstruction after open surgery of anterior skull base lesions is challenging. The fascia lata graft is our workhorse for achieving dural sealing and preventing cerebrospinal fluid leak and meningitis. This study seeks to analyze the donor and recipient site complication rates after fascia lata reconstruction.

A Prospective Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Extended Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery for Benign Pituitary Gland Lesion.

 Endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) has become the preferred approach for pituitary tumor resection. Nevertheless, research on quality of life related to pituitary adenoma surgery is scarce.  The aim of the study is to evaluate short-term quality of life in patients after endoscopic endonasal resection of pituitary tumors and to find predictors for poor quality of life (QOL) outcome.

Outcomes of Tracheal Resections in Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer-A case series and meta-analysis.

Background: Tracheal invasion in thyroid cancer is a well-known form of advanced disease. There is an ongoing controversy over outcomes of tracheal shaving in this situation. The aim of this study was to compare the results of tracheal shaving to radical resections in patients with low-volume tracheal involvement.

The Role of Imaging in the Preoperative Assessment of Patients with Nasal Obstruction and Septal Deviation-A Retrospective Cohort Study.

 Isolated nasal obstruction (INO) is a common complaint of multiple etiology. The preoperative evaluation of patients presenting with nasal obstruction and deviated nasal septum (DNS) does not typically include imaging. The benefits of performing computed tomography (CT) in the preoperative setting are inconclusive.

Lateral Neck Dissection for Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Is Prophylactic Level V Neck Dissection Necessary? A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The presence of clinically detectable papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) metastases in the lateral neck is an indication for neck dissection (ND) and thyroidectomy. Although there is a consensus regarding the importance of therapeutic selective ND of involved levels II to IV in patients with clinically evident locoregional metastatic disease, the prognostic benefit of level V prophylactic ND remains debatable.

Methods: All patients who underwent thyroidectomy with ND for metastatic PTC between 2006 and 2019 were included in a single-institution retrospective study.

Surgically Treated Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: Outcome Predictors and the Role of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy.

Objectives: Advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (CSCCHN) is associated with poor outcome despite multimodality therapy. Comprehensive risk stratification may pinpoint the most suitable adjuvant treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of surgically treated locoregional CSCCHN and to identify prognostic indicators of treatment outcomes.

Thyroid function control among pregnant women following a therapeutic thyroidectomy.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the extent of thyroid function control among pregnant women who had previously undergone a therapeutic thyroidectomy.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: The largest health maintenance organization in Israel.

Prophylactic central neck dissection has no advantage in patients with metastatic papillary thyroid cancer to the lateral neck.

Background: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) usually metastasizes via lymphatic channels in a sequential fashion, first to the central compartment, followed by the lateral neck. PTC patients diagnosed with lateral neck disease (N1b) without proof for central involvement traditionally undergo prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND). However, substantial evidence on outcomes to support this approach is lacking.

Rate of Occult Neck Nodal Metastasis in Parotid Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: The risk for occult neck nodal metastasis in carcinoma of the parotid gland is inconclusive. Therefore, addressing a negative neck prophylactically and the extent to do so remain controversial. This systematic review aimed to determine the rate of occult nodal metastasis for each neck level, and consequently, to elucidate the proper extent of elective neck dissection (END).

Free flap transfers for head and neck and skull base reconstruction in children and adolescents - Early and late outcomes.

Objectives: Reconstruction of surgical defects by free tissue transfer following resection of head and neck tumors in children are sparse. This study aims to assess the feasibility and safety of free flap reconstruction following surgical ablation of head and neck and skull base tumors in children based on our experience and the recent literature.

Methods: Data from medical files of all children and adolescents <18 years of age who underwent free flap reconstruction following resection of head and neck and skull base tumors at our tertiary center between 2000 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.

The Effect of Diathermy Power Settings on Oral Cavity Mucosal Contraction: A Rat Model.

Objectives/hypothesis: The effects of different electrocautery power settings on mucosal contraction and margin status in the oral cavity have not been well established. The aim of this study was to examine how different levels of electrocautery energy outputs affect oral mucosal tissue margins.

Study Design: Animal model.

The Evolution of the Free Fibula Flap for Head and Neck Reconstruction: 21 Years of Experience with 128 Flaps.

Background:  The free fibula flap is commonly referred to as a "workhorse" for head and neck reconstruction. During our 21-year experience with this flap, we have performed several changes in preoperative planning, operative technique, and postoperative follow-up.

Patients And Methods:  A retrospective cohort study designed to analyze the cohort of patients who underwent free fibula transfer for head and neck reconstruction.

Long-term all-cause mortality and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in thyroid cancer survivors: an Israeli population-based study.

Background: The global incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has risen considerably during the last three decades, while prognosis is generally favorable. We assessed the long-term all-cause mortality in TC survivors compared to the general population, and its association with cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: Individuals diagnosed with TC during 2001-2014 (TC group) and age- and sex-matched individuals from the same Israeli healthcare system without thyroid disease or a cancer history (non-TC group) were compared.

The COVID-19 pandemic - from great challenge to unique opportunity: Perspective.

The 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes - coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have rapidly swept across the world since the first known human manifestation on December 8, 2019 in Wuhan (Hubei Province, China)1,2. The epidemic of the COVID-19 has presented as a grim and complex situation, causing great impact on economy and society, and seriously interfering with ordinary medical practice, threatening to exceed healthcare capacity in many countries over the globe. With no doubt, dealing with the COVID-19 has caused great social and medical crisis that presented great challenges to the medical and healthcare society, forcing it to face unprecedented times, and to reconceptualize how to provide quality health care while enforcing public health measures necessary for pandemic containment and optimal allocation of healthcare resources.

Decreased cerebral oxygen saturation levels during direct laryngoscopy with spontaneous ventilation in children.

Introduction: Direct laryngoscopy in children is usually performed with spontaneous ventilation and monitored by pulse oximetry. It is currently unknown if spontaneous ventilation has an effect on cerebral oxygenation. We hypothesized that cerebral oxygenation may be impeded during direct laryngoscopy with spontaneous ventilation in children.

Combined trans-stomal endotracheal approach to peri-stomal tracheal pathologies in children.

Importance: Peristomal pathologies in tracheostomized children are common and often difficult to treat. They may preclude decannulation even after the initial pathology that required tracheostomy had been resolved.

Objective: We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of combined direct laryngoscopy and trans-stomal endotracheal surgery in the treatment of pediatric peristomal pathologies.

Psychometric testing of the Skull Base Inventory health-related quality of life questionnaire in a multi-institutional study of patients undergoing open and endoscopic surgery.

Purpose: The skull base inventory (SBI) was developed to better assess health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with anterior and central skull base neoplasms treated by endoscopic and open approaches. The primary objective of this study was to prospectively assess the psychometric properties of the SBI.

Methods: This study is part of a multi-center study of patients undergoing endoscopic and open procedures completed between 2012 and 2018.

Correction to: Total thyroidectomy with therapeutic level II-IV neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma: level VI recurrence patterns.

The original article can be found online.