Transoral robotic-assisted surgery for the approach to anterior cervical spine lesions.

The Da Vinci robotic surgical system is increasingly being used by head and neck surgeons in transoral approaches for head and neck cancer. Our experience using the Da Vinci system for transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) is presented. The feasibility of TORS for lesions involving the anterior portion of C1-C2 and the cranio-cervical junction has been evaluated from an anatomical viewpoint in a cadaveric laboratory.

Recurrent Massive Epistaxis from an Anomalous Posterior Ethmoid Artery.

A 50-year-old man, with no previous history of epistaxis, was hospitalized at our facility for left recurrent posterior epistaxis. The patient underwent surgical treatment three times and only the operator's experience and radiological support (cranial angiography) allowed us to control the epistaxis and stop the bleeding. The difficult bleeding management and control was attributed to an abnormal course of the left posterior ethmoidal artery.