Swallowing dysfunction is a common sequelae after chemoradiation for oropharynx carcinoma.

Introduction: A retrospective review of all patients with advanced oropharynx cancer from a single institution was performed.

Methods: Sixty-seven patients with stage III/IV oropharynx cancer were treated with definitive radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy from 1990 to 2004. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 91 months with a median of 32 months.

Radiographic complete response on post treatment CT imaging eliminates the need for adjuvant neck dissection after treatment for node positive head and neck cancer.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to correlate radiographic response in the neck to clinical outcomes for patients with node positive head and neck cancer.

Methods: One hundred three patients with stage III/IV node positive cancer were treated with definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiation at a single institution from 1990 to 2004. Follow-up ranged from 8 months to 144 months with a median of 42 months.

Radiofrequency turbinate reduction: a NOSE evaluation.

Background: The symptoms and treatments for nasal obstruction are numerous and common. Yet, a consensus on a surgical approach or, even more importantly, how to define the success of any approach is lacking in the literature. A disease-specific outcomes instrument recently developed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology, known as the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale, has allowed for a validated, uniform method to compare different treatments for nasal obstruction.

Laryngopharyngeal abnormalities in hospitalized patients with dysphagia.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of laryngopharyngeal (LP) abnormalities in hospitalized patients with dysphagia referred for flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).

Study Design: Retrospective, blinded review by two otolaryngologists of 100 consecutive FEES studies performed and video-recorded by a speech-language pathologist (SLP).

Methods: Two otolaryngologists reviewed videos of 100 consecutive FEES studies on hospitalized patients with dysphagia for the presence of abnormal LP findings.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the subglottis.

Study Design: A retrospective study over a 25-year period of patients with laryngeal carcinoma treated by the Department of Otolaryngology at Wake Forest University.

Methods: The boundaries of the subglottis were defined as 5 mm below the free edge of the true vocal folds extending to the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage. All were staged according to American Joint Committee on Cancer: stages I and II were considered early and stages III and IV as late.

Neck masses secondary to heterotopic salivary gland tissue: a 25-year experience.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to review salivary tumors arising from heterotopic salivary inclusions in the periparotid and cervical lymph nodal tissues over a 25-year span.

Methods: A retrospective chart review revealed 24 patients with asymptomatic neck masses treated between 1976 and 2001, whose pathology demonstrated heterotopic salivary tissue or neoplasms arising from heterotopic salivary tissue.

Results: Nine cases were benign periparotid lymph nodes with heterotopic salivary inclusions, 3 of which had multimodal involvement.

Characterisation of DRASIC in the mouse inner ear.

Within the cochlea, the hair cells detect sound waves and transduce them into receptor potential. The molecular architecture of the highly specialised cochlea is complex and until recently little was known about the molecular interactions which underlie its function. It is now clear that the coordinated expression and interplay of hundreds of genes and the integrity of cochlear cells regulate this function.

Can post-RT neck dissection be omitted for patients with head-and-neck cancer who have a negative PET scan after definitive radiation therapy?

Purpose: A prospective, single institution study was conducted to evaluate the role of positron emission tomography with fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) before and after definitive radiation therapy for patients with head-and-neck cancer. Correlation with CT or MRI imaging and pathologic findings at the time of planned neck dissection was made.

Methods And Materials: Twelve patients with AJCC Stages III-IV cancer of the head and neck received CT or MRI and PET imaging before treatment with definitive radiation therapy.

Gastroesophageal reflux and the upper airway.

EER is a disorder commonly seen in otolaryngologic practice and differs from GERD in its clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, and response to treatment. Its association with numerous disorders in children should lead otolaryngologists to consider this diagnosis in all patients with voice, airway, and swallowing complaints.

Second head and neck cancers and tobacco usage.

Objectives: To examine the relative incidence of second primary carcinomas in patients who continued smoking compared with those who had ceased smoking.

Methods: This is a retrospective study based on review of the Wake Forest University-Baptist Medical Center Tumor Registry for the years 1985 through 2000. Ninety-one patients who had had an index head and neck tumor and who developed a second independent head and neck primary tumor, were identified.

Intraparotid facial nerve neurofibromas.

Objectives: To provide an awareness of intraparotid facial nerve neurofibroma as a cause of parotid masses and to describe their characteristics and management considerations.

Study Design: Case report with literature review.

Methods: The medical records of three patients with intraparotid facial nerve neurofibromas are reviewed, and data concerning the patient's presentations, treatment, and disease course are presented with a review of the world's literature on intraparotid facial nerve neurofibromas.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux and laryngeal web formation in patients with pediatric recurrent respiratory papillomas.

Objective: To determine whether treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux reduces the laryngeal soft tissue complications encountered in surgery for recurrent respiratory papillomas.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients treated for laryngeal recurrent respiratory papillomas between 1984 and 1999 was performed.

The role of parotid biopsy in the diagnosis of pediatric Sjögren syndrome.

Objectives: To describe our experience with primary and secondary Sjögren syndrome (SS) in the pediatric population and to evaluate the effectiveness of parotid gland biopsy in the diagnosis of pediatric SS.

Design: Case series review of 6 pediatric patients evaluated during a 4-year period with varied head and neck manifestations of SS.

Setting: Tertiary care children's hospital.

Pediatric laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is common in children. It often affects the airway, and it has been associated with life-threatening disease. The diagnosis and treatment of LPR in children is somewhat different from that in adults.

Kimura's disease: a diagnostic challenge.

Kimura's disease is a rare inflammatory disorder of unknown cause, primarily seen in young Asian males. The disease is characterized by a triad of painless subcutaneous masses in the head or neck region, blood and tissue eosinophilia, and markedly elevated serum immunoglobulin E levels. We describe an 11-year-old Asian boy with Kimura's disease who presented with a chronic left neck mass.

Ectodermal dysplasia: otolaryngologic manifestations and management.

Objective: To present the otolaryngologic manifestations and management of 12 patients with the rare presentation of ectodermal dysplasia.

Study Design: A retrospective chart review combined with a patient evaluation by the specialties of genetics, dermatology, dentistry, and otolaryngology.

Methods: A review of the head and neck manifestations of the spectrum ectodermal dysplasia was undertaken by a retrospective chart review performed at a tertiary care children's hospital combined with a multidisciplinary evaluation by specialties of genetics, dermatology, dentistry, and otolaryngology.

Otolaryngology retirement profile in the southeastern United States.

Objective: To document retirement-related issues and trends among otolaryngologists.

Study Design: Survey of 438 retired members in the Southern geographical region of the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to retired members, completed anonymously, and returned to the author.

Serial positron emission tomography scans following radiation therapy of patients with head and neck cancer.

Background: A single institution study was undertaken to evaluate the role of positron emission tomography (PET) scans with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) prior to radiation and following radiation.

Methods: Forty-five patients with head and neck cancers were evaluated with FDG-PET scans as well as either CT or MRI prior to treatment with definitive radiation (RT). These same scans were obtained following completion of RT at 1 month (36 patients), 4 months (28 patients), 12 months (19 patients), and 24 months (15 patients).

Surgical management of choanal atresia: improved outcome using mitomycin.

Objective: To evaluate the intraoperative use of mitomycin to improve the surgical outcome and reduce the rate of soft tissue restenosis in children undergoing choanal atresia repair.

Design: Retrospective chart review of all patients surgically treated for congenital choanal atresia by the senior author (W.F.

Laryngospasm and diaphragmatic arrest in immature dogs after laryngeal acid exposure: a possible model for sudden infant death syndrome.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux has been proposed as a possible cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). We investigated the efferent laryngeal and diaphragmatic responses to acid exposure on the laryngeal mucosa using a neonatal canine model. Electromyographic (EMG) recordings from the thyroarytenoid muscle and the diaphragm were measured with hooked-wire electrodes.

Avoiding intubation in the injured subglottis: the role of heliox therapy.

Intubation in the child presenting with severe viral tracheobronchitis or prior subglottic injury can be detrimental to the child and the subglottis. Intubation may lead to further mucosal ischemia, scar, subglottic stenosis, or failed extubation requiring a tracheotomy. Heliox is a combination of helium and oxygen that produces less-dense gas exchange.

Endovascular treatment of hemorrhage after tonsillectomy in children.

Endovascular therapy for hemorrhage after tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy is an important adjunct to the definitive treatment of this life-threatening occurrence. We report two cases of hemorrhage after tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy and describe the endovascular management of this complication in children.