Functional and cosmetic donor site morbidity of the radial forearm-free flap: comparison of two different coverage techniques.

Background: The use of the radial forearm-free flap is a well-established and reliable reconstruction method in head and neck surgery. Usually, the defect of the donor site is covered with full or split-thickness skin grafts. Since 09/2013, a direct closure of the radial forearm donor site has been performed at the ENT University Hospital Leipzig to avoid secondary donor site morbidity.

Pediatric nasolacrimal duct obstruction-benefit of a combined therapeutic approach.

Background: Pediatric nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PNDO) requires therapeutic intervention after conservative procedures failed. As resilient treatment guidelines for the treatment are missing, the aim of this study was to evaluate the advantages of two different intervention techniques in children with PNDO.

Methods: Between January, 2006 and June, 2014, 233 children (0-208 months) were treated either with conventional probing by ophthalmologists only (Group I) or with endonasal endoscopic interdisciplinary approach (Group II).

Integrated Multipoint-Laser Endoscopic Airway Measurements by Transoral Approach.

Objectives: Optical and technical characteristics usually do not allow objective endoscopic distance measurements. So far no standardized method for endoscopic distance measurement is available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of transoral airway measurements with a multipoint-laser endoscope.

Respiratory complications after diode-laser-assisted tonsillotomy.

Children with certain risk factors, such as comorbidities or severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are known to require extended postoperative monitoring after adenotonsillectomy. However, there are no recommendations available for diode-laser-assisted tonsillotomy. A retrospective chart review of 96 children who underwent diode-laser-assisted tonsillotomy (07/2011-06/2013) was performed.

Endonasal nasolacrimal duct surgery: a comparative study of two techniques.

Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is performed in patients with saccal or postsaccal lacrimal duct obstruction. Focusing on the endonasal approach, we compared success rates, clinical outcome, complications and patient satisfaction of endoscopic vs. non-endoscopic techniques in endonasal DCR.

Assay-based response evaluation in head and neck oncology: requirements for better decision making.

This article gives an overview on different current strategies of assay-based response evaluation in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and critically summarizes their role and needs for future clinical evaluation. Due to a growing amount of data of phase III clinical trials of multimodality treatment options for HNSCC, treatment planning in regard to optimal outcome is becoming an interdisciplinary challenge. New concepts such as induction chemotherapy with bi- or ternary combinations of chemotherapeutics, integration of targeted therapies, concurrent and sequential chemoradiation concepts, and multimodality-based organ preservation strategies strongly compete with traditional definitive surgical procedures.

Heterogeneity of epithelial and stromal cells of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in ex vivo chemoresponse.

Background: Valid prediction of the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents in individual head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is desirable and might be achieved using ex vivo assays.

Methods: Three biopsies from each of 15 HNSCC were taken, minced and digested by collagenase. The digested HNSCC was added to serial dilutions of either cisplatin (CIS) or docetaxel (DTX), which were prepared under flavin-protecting conditions in ECM-coated microtiterplates.

Single tissue samples from head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are representative regarding the entire tumor's chemosensitivity to cisplatin and docetaxel.

Background: In multimodal therapy concepts for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a valid predictive assay for the quick detection of efficient chemotherapeutic agents is desirable. Questionable so far was whether tissue samples of about 100 mg correctly reflect the chemoresponse of a whole HNSCC. This was proven using an ex-vivo colony-forming assay.