Applications of digital subtraction angiography in the management of penetrating injuries of the maxillofacial region: A case report.

This report presents a clinical case of trauma due to assault with a knife, and describes the importance of using the correct imaging modality in cases of facial penetrating trauma involving the superficial and deep anatomical planes. Penetrating wounds in the maxillofacial region are rare and poorly reported, but can result in serious complications that are difficult to resolve and may compromise the patient's quality of life, especially when large blood vessels or other vital structures are involved. Thus, it is essential to determine the extent of the affected blood vessels and the proximity of the retained object to the anatomical structures.

Predictors of salivary fistula after total laryngectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula after total laryngectomy and try to identify its predictors.

Methods: From May 2005 to April 2010, 93 patients underwent total laryngectomy. We evaluated complications during and after surgery and compared them with the following variables: gender, nutritional status, previous tracheotomy, tumor location, type of surgery, TNM staging, prior treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, use of flaps for reconstruction and surgical margin.

The usefulness of a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in preventing salivary fistulae after salvage total laryngectomy.

Unlabelled: Salvage laryngectomy in patients treated with organ preservation protocols is associated with high rates of postoperative complications. The use of non-irradiated tissue flaps in pharyngeal reconstruction could reduce the incidence of these complications.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of the pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in preventing salivary fistulae during the postoperative period of salvage total laryngectomy (TL).

Course of ionized calcium after thyroidectomy.

Background: The goal of the present study was to investigate the course of ionized calcium after thyroidectomy and to define a cut-off value that indicates symptoms of hypocalcemia.

Methods: The sample included 333 patients undergoing thyroidectomy at the University Hospital of UFMG between September 2000 and December 2005. Ionized calcium was determined before and after surgery (days 1, 2, and 30) in all patients and on postoperative days 90 and 180 in those with hypocalcemia.

Solitary fibrous tumour of the buccal mucosa: case report and review of the literature.

Solitary fibrous tumours are spindle-cell neoplasms that usually occur in the pleura and peritoneum, and rarely involve the oral mucosa. We report a 30-year-old man with a large solitary fibrous tumour on the buccal mucosa that resembled a salivary gland neoplasm. The lesion was excised and has not recurred.