Vocal Cord Paresis After Posterior Spinal Fusion to Treat Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Case Report.

Case: A 15-year-old girl with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with a 50° curve underwent posterior spinal fusion from T3 to T11. After discharge from the hospital, the patient reported dysphonia and dysphagia. Flexible nasendoscopy confirmed left vocal cord paresis.

[Medium- to long-term follow-up after anterior cruciate ligament rupture and repair in healing response technique].

Background: Healing response (HR) is an all-arthroscopic technique for treatment of acute proximal anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears within 6 weeks after injury. By means of arthroscopically controlled microfracture holes in the native femoral attachment and perforations of the ACL itself the exit of stem cells and growth factors is induced and the ligament can heal into its native attachment zone. The purpose of the study was to document medium- to long-term results after 5 years or longer following the healing response (HR) procedure.

Implementation of ethics grand rounds in an otolaryngology department.

Objectives/hypothesis: To create a case-based curriculum designed to teach and discuss the tenets of clinical medical ethics within an otolaryngology department.

Study Design: Survey-based study in a single-institution, academic otolaryngology department.

Methods: Case-based departmental ethics grand rounds were implemented on a quarterly basis within an academic department of otolaryngology.

Mucosal swabs detect HPV in laryngeal papillomatosis patients but not family members.

Seven patients, aged 2-7 years, with active recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) attending the University of Michigan Pediatric Otolaryngology Clinic were studied to determine if human papillomavirus (HPV) is harbored in sites of the upper aerodigestive tract other than in the laryngeal papilloma itself. We also determined if close family members had detectable virus in their oral cavities. Noninvasive swabs of buccal mucosa, posterior pharynx, nasal vestibule, and tonsillar pillar of patients, as well as buccal mucosa and posterior pharyngeal swabs of family members were studied.

High-risk human papillomavirus types and squamous cell carcinoma in patients with respiratory papillomas.

Respiratory papillomas (RPs) are benign, virally induced tumors of the larynx and respiratory epithelium that may obstruct the airway and tend to recur frequently. RPs are thought to be the result of infection with the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) types 6 and 11. We surveyed archival RP specimens to determine whether there were correlations of HPV type with patient characteristics or clinical course.

Pediatric myofibromatosis of the head and neck.

Objectives: To examine the clinical and pathological features of pediatric myofibroma of the head and neck and to discuss the challenges in diagnosis and treatment.

Design: A retrospective search of pathology department and clinical records to identify patients with myofibroma and a retrospective review of English-language medical publications.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Neonatal choristoma of the tongue containing glial tissue: diagnosis and surgical considerations.

There are only six case reports documenting the presence of glial tissue in the tongue. Because of the small number of cases, the presentation and biologic behavior of these lesions is poorly characterized. We present the case of a 10-day-old male infant who arrived at the University of Michigan Medical Center with a history of positional dyspnea, with resultant cyanosis and bradycardia, dysphagia, and a mass at the base of the tongue.

Cutaneous wound healing. An overview.

This article is a general discussion of the mechanisms of soft-tissue wound healing with an emphasis on tissue. The overall phases of cutaneous wound healing and their influencing factors are described as are concepts for managing skin incisions to achieve a more optimal scar appearance.

Chronic otitis media requiring ventilation tubes in tracheotomized ventilator dependent children.

The occurrence of sinusitis and middle ear effusions has frequently been attributed to the obstruction of the sinus ostia and/or eustachian tube. In the intensive care unit setting, edema caused by the irritation from nasogastric, nasotracheal and orotracheal tubes has been associated with this pathology and has been responsible for occult sepsis in this population. Our investigation was performed to determine the risk of chronic otitis media with effusion necessitating myringotomy with tympanostomy tubes among tracheotomized, ventilator dependent children in a consecutive series of children admitted to our recently created stable ventilator unit.

Radiation therapy as an alternative to surgery in the management of intracranial juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a benign, vascular tumor which typically presents in adolescent males. Although surgical resection is usually recommended for the management of this tumor, external beam radiation therapy has also been advocated in the literature. We report three cases of large juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas with extensive intracranial extension primarily managed with external beam radiation therapy.

Flutamide-induced regression of angiofibroma.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) appears to be an endocrine-responsive tumor. This concept was tested in five young men with JNA by treating them with a testosterone receptor blocker (flutamide) for 6 weeks preoperatively. Tumor size was evaluated by axial computed tomography both before and after flutamide therapy.

Otolaryngologic (head and neck) problems in the elderly.

This article is designed to give the reader an appreciation of some of the more common or important facets of the management of head and neck disorders in the elderly patient. Readers are referred to the references for more detailed descriptions of the topics.

Intracranial complications of paranasal sinusitis: a combined institutional review.

Intracranial complications of paranasal sinusitis constitute true surgical and medical emergencies. The charts of all patients (n = 649) admitted for acute or chronic sinusitis to the University of Minnesota Hospital and to the University of Michigan Medical Center during a 13-year period (1975 to 1988) were retrospectively reviewed to determine the incidence of complications. The clinical presentation, bacteriology, involved sinuses, influencing host factors, white blood cell count on presentation, length of hospitalization, and postinterventional complications are presented.

The use of biopsy in the evaluation of pediatric nasopharyngeal masses.

Pediatric nasopharyngeal tumors are rare, and few clinicians possess more than anecdotal experience. The differential diagnosis includes a diverse group of benign and malignant tumors, but can be narrowed further based on the clinical and radiographic appearance of the mass. Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma has such characteristic angiographic and CT imaging that many authors suggest biopsy is not essential in the evaluation of this lesion.

Juvenile myasthenia gravis: an unusual presentation.

Myasthenia gravis is a disease characterized by muscular weakness and fatigability which afflicts 2-10 patients per 100,000 with 20% of cases presenting in childhood. Muscles innervated by cranial nerves are frequently involved with ptosis and diplopia being the most frequent presenting complaints. We review the literature and report a case of a 20-month-old infant presenting with inspiratory stridor and cyanosis, resembling foreign body aspiration.

Facial nerve paresis as the presenting symptom of leukemia.

Leukemic involvement of the temporal bone is not uncommon and may present in a variety of ways including auricular or external canal skin lesions, red or thick tympanic membrane, middle ear effusions, otitis media, hearing loss or mastoiditis. Symptomatic facial nerve involvement, on the other hand, is extremely unusual. We discuss a pediatric patient whose sudden onset facial nerve paresis was the presenting symptom that led to her diagnosis of leukemia.

Surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea.

The authors have reviewed the surgical management of patients with OSA. They have emphasized not only surgical techniques but also the method of preoperative evaluation of the patients and have presented some considerations in the postoperative management of patients in an attempt to avoid catastrophic results. As our diagnostic techniques improve, we should have fewer problems with the determination of the amount of tissue to remove and also the selection of the appropriate procedure.

Sleep apnea--an historical perspective.

In this article the authors have attempted to give the reader a brief overview of some of the development of recognition of obstructive sleep disorders and early aspects of their surgical therapy. They have avoided detailed descriptions of radiographic and other diagnostic measures, since many of these are summarized in other articles.

The anterior cricoid split. Clinical experience with extended indications.

A recommended approach to postextubation infant subglottic stenosis secondary to subglottic edema employs the recently described anterior cricoid split (ACS) procedure. This technique provides an expanded subglottic airway with minimal paratracheal dissection and does not require concomitant tracheotomy. We applied this procedure in managing extubation difficulty in pediatric as well as neonatal patients.

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita: otolaryngologic diagnosis and management.

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is an uncommon congenital disorder characterized by multiple fixed joint deformities and non-progressive neuromuscular dysfunction. A small fraction of these infants will present with otolaryngologic problems resulting from cranial nerve weakness, muscle dysplasia, or structural dysharmony of the head and neck. The charts of 50 patients with AMC were reviewed to determine the incidence of these findings.