Reconstruction of complicated skull base defects utilizing free tissue transfer.

We managed five patients with large skull base defects complicated by complex infections with microvascular free tissue transfer. The first patient developed an infection, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, and meningitis after undergoing a translabyrinthine resection of an acoustic neuroma. The second patient had a history of a gunshot wound to the temporal bone, with a large defect and an infected cholesteatoma that caused several episodes of meningitis.

Role of planned neck dissection for advanced metastatic disease in tongue base or tonsil squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiotherapy.

Objective: At the conclusion of this article, the reader should be able to discuss the need for planned neck dissection for advanced cervical diseases in the tongue base and tonsil cancer after treatment with radiotherapy.

Background: In the past 5 years, we have treated patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil and tongue base with radiotherapy as the primary therapeutic modality. A planned complete neck dissection was performed on all patients with N2 or greater cervical disease regardless of response to radiotherapy.

Clinical experience with HLA-B7 plasmid DNA/lipid complex in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of alloantigen plasmid DNA therapy in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using Allovectin-7 (Vical Inc, San Diego, Calif), a DNA/lipid complex designed to express the class I major histocompatibility complex antigen HLA-B7.

Design: Multi-institutional prospective trial.

Setting: Academic medical setting.

Technetium 99m single positron emission computed tomography scanning for assessing mandible invasion in oral cavity cancer.

Objectives: To study the accuracy of single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning and compare its results to clinical examination, Panorex, and computed tomography (CT) scanning with respect to determining mandibular invasion by oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer, and to define the role of SPECT scanning in the preoperative assessment of oromandibular cancer.

Study Design: Prospective study of 38 patients who underwent technetium 99m SPECT scanning as part of their preoperative clinical assessment for cancer at risk of invading the mandible. All patients underwent partial or segmental mandibulectomy as part of their surgical management.

Evaluation of 201T1 SPECT for predicting early treatment response in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the extracranial head and neck treated with nonsurgical organ preservation therapy: initial results.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to prospectively determine the ability of 210TI single photon emission CT (SPECT) to monitor treatment response in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCCA) treated with nonsurgical organ preservation.

Method: Nine patients with HNSCCA underwent 201T1 SPECT before and 6 weeks after completion of nonsurgical organ preservation therapy. All cases were evaluated for uptake at the primary site before and after treatment.