An unusual pigmented tonsil neoplasm presenting to Head & Neck Clinic: a case report and literature review of primary tonsillar malignant mucosal melanoma.

Primary mucosal melanoma of the tonsil is rare, with 27 reported cases. Careful diagnosis is necessary, as the tonsil is more often a site of metastatic melanoma from a cutaneous primary tumour. In this report, we present a case of primary right tonsillar mucosal melanoma with widespread metastasis in a 31-year-old man who presented with a 3-month history of enlarging neck lumps.

Hearing preservation via a cochleostomy approach and deep insertion of a standard length cochlear implant electrode.

Objective: The suggestion that the depth of insertion of the electrode into the cochlea is critical to hearing preservation has led to the development of a generation of short electrodes designed to minimize intracochlear trauma and avoid contact with the apical region of the cochlea. This study aims to describe our experience of hearing preservation surgery using a deeply inserted standard length electrode array covering the region of residual hearing.

Study Design: A retrospective case note review was performed identifying cases of attempted hearing preservation using standard length electrodes.