[Endoscopic surgery of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma by double embolization].

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a source of controversy with respect to therapy because of the many therapeutic modalities that exist, such as classic surgical techniques and newer techniques like nasal endoscopic surgery, which have emerged with the advent of new and better diagnostic techniques. Endoscopic surgery is less aggressive and produces less morbidity, but its use often depends on the size and extension of the tumor. A clinical case is presented with the subsequent diagnostic steps and surgical treatment.

[Tissue engineering of cartilagenous tissue. Vital cryopreservation].

The characteristics of in vitro synthesized cartilage tissue using tissue engineering techniques before and after cryopreservation are described. We determined cell survival, growth of extracellular matrix (collagen and proteoglycan) using a computer analysis system, and characterized the cell phenotype with a monoclonal antibody specific for collagen type II. Chondrocytes maintained a differentiated phenotype with collagen and proteoglycan synthesis before and after cryopreservation.

[Cellular viability of cryopreserved cartilage grafts].

Transplantation of preserved cartilage has an important role in reconstructive surgery. Opinions vary with regard to the performance of cryopreserved cartilage. We studied the functional state of chondrocytes after cryopreservation.

Laryngeal reconstruction using allogeneic cartilages.

Preserved allogeneic cartilage has been used to reconstruct laryngeal defects. The most important problem with this approach has been graft resorption, which seems to be caused by devitalization of the grafts as a consequence of preservation. In this study, the authors compared the in vivo behavior of vital and nonvital preserved cartilage used to reconstruct the larynx of New Zealand white rabbits.

Determination of viability of cryopreserved cartilage grafts.

Although transplantation of preserved cartilage has assumed a role of great importance in reconstructive surgery, there are many divergent and contradictory opinions with regard to the outcome of cryopreserved cartilage. This study was formulated to assess the functional state of chondrocytes after cryopreservation. Freeze injury and survival were studied using the trypan blue dye exclusion test, functional assay for cell adhesion and transmission electron microscopy.

Morphological and histochemical study of human submucosal laryngeal glands.

Background: The respiratory submucosal glands are a major source of secretions in the airway. Human submucosal laryngeal glands have been scarcely studied, with no works existing about their ultrastructure and histochemistry.

Methods: Samples of epiglottis, ventricle, false vocal folds and true vocal folds were fixed in 10% buffered formalin for histochemical study with conventional and carbohydrate lectin histochemistry.

Nerve endings in the epithelium and submucosa of human epiglottis.

An electron-microscopic study of the sensory innervation of human epiglottis was undertaken. The nerve supply of this structure was abundant; numerous free unmyelinated nerve endings of 2.5-3 microns were observed in the stratified epithelium of the epiglottis associated with clear cells containing mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, microtubules and dense-cored granules.

[Vital preservation of cartilage transplants with tissue culture methods].

Cartilage grafting is one of the most common procedures in plastic surgery. Since storage of both autologous and allogenic cartilage is necessary, different preservation methods have been used with more or less success. The use of chemical preservation procedures like formaldehyde, Merthiolate or Cialit lead to a loss of the vitality of the graft.

[Fundamental concepts in the implementation of the spectroscopic magnetic resonance for the determination of the biological quality of human cartilage transplants].

Cartilage grafts are often used in reconstructive surgery for compensating loss or defect in tissues. Future progress in this field are related to the resolution of some problems concerning the preservation in our tissue-banks. Several time-expensive biochemical, histological and autoradiographic methods have been employed in the past to describe the metabolic properties and pathological changes of preserved and transplanted cartilage grafts.

Immunoreactive nerve fibers in the nasal mucosa. An experimental study on neuropeptides Y, calcitonin gene-related peptide and galanin.

The presence of immunoreactive nervous fibers in the respiratory nasal mucosa of rats and guinea pigs was studied by means of a modified peroxidase antiperoxidase technique for whole mounting. The fibers with neuropeptide Y (NPY) always appeared in the walls of blood vessels, while the fibers immunoreactive to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were found in nerve tracts near the vessels and the acini of seromucous glands as thick networks located in the subepithelial layers. Immunoreactivity (IR) for galanin was found in the mucosa studied.

Morphological study of the nasal conchae of the guinea pig.

The histology of the conchae of the nasal cavity in the guinea pig was investigated by means of conventional light and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed a clear structural difference between the anterior and the posterior portion of the conchae, being in the first zone where the vasculature was more numerous. The arterioles and the venules were richly innervated, abounding in cholinergic nerve endings with vesicles of probably peptidergic character.

[Exploration of the eustachian tube with the Toynbee maneuver in combination with the impedancemeter].

The classic Toynbee experiment produce changes in the patency of the Eustachian tube. With the finality of knowing the practicality of this ease maneuver the AA. measure the tympanogram variations during 10 swallowing sequences.

[The autoradiographic definition of the proliferation of lymphoblasts in tonsils of children (author's transl)].

The H3-thymidin incorporation index of lymphoblasts in tonsils of 61 children, aged 3-14 years, has been measured posttonsillectomy. The lowest index was found in focal tonsillitis with a maximum in simple hyperplasia. The definition of H3-thymidin incorporation is a good index for cellular immunological activity in tonsils just prior to tonsillectomy.