Robot-assisted versus conventional neck dissection in head and neck cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Advances in technology have enabled neck dissection techniques that reduce aesthetic impact while maintaining oncological safety. This study compares perioperative outcomes between robotic neck dissection via retroauricular/modified facelift incision (RNDRM) and conventional neck dissection via anterolateral cervical incision (CND).

Methods: Studies were selected from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library.

Margin-to-depth ratio as an independent prognostic factor in resected oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study.

Background: The prognostic significance of margin-to-depth ratio (MDR) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) remains unclear, particularly in comparison to traditional margin status. We aimed to examine the association between MDR and clinical outcomes in a large Taiwanese cohort.

Methods: A total of 18,324 patients with first primary OCSCC were categorized by margin status: positive (1013), <5 mm (8371), and ≥ 5 mm (8940).

Prognostic significance of adjuvant therapy and specific radiation dosages in Taiwanese patients with oral cavity cancer and extra-nodal extension: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The evidence for adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) with extra-nodal extension (ENE) in National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines is derived from patients with head and neck cancer. The guidelines further suggest a radiation dose ranging from 6000 to 6600 cGy. In this nationwide study, we sought to evaluate the prognostic significance of adjuvant therapy and the specific radiation dosage in Taiwanese patients with pure OCSCC and ENE.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment and Hypertensive Adverse Outcomes in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Pregnancy may contribute to the development or exacerbation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and increase the risk of gestational complications. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first-line and criterion standard treatment for OSA and is regarded as the most feasible choice during pregnancy. However, the association between CPAP therapy in pregnant women with OSA and reduced gestational complications remains inconclusive.

Modified Killian Method for Flexible Nasopharyngoscopic Observation of the Hypopharynx: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Flexible nasopharyngoscopy is a common procedure for evaluating the hypopharynx. The modified Killian method has been reported to enhance visualization during this examination. The aim of this study was to compare the visibility of the hypopharynx using conventional and modified Killian methods.

Pathophysiological Mechanisms Underlying Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis in Female Patients: An Ultrasonographic Study.

Objectives: Laryngeal ultrasonography (LUS) has been suggested as an alternative diagnostic tool for unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). The present study applied LUS and quantitative laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) in female UVFP patients to investigate the pathophysiologic mechanisms of UVFP.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, vocal fold (VF) length parameters included resting and phonating VF length measured using B-mode LUS, and color Doppler vibrating length (CDVL) measured using the color Doppler mode.

Effect of Preoperative Weight Status and Disease Presentation on Postoperative Elevated Blood Pressure After Childhood Adenotonsillectomy.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of postoperative elevated blood pressure (BP) in children with childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) after adenotonsillectomy (AT).

Study Design: Case series with planned data collection.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Early relapse is an adverse prognostic factor for survival outcomes in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: results from a nationwide registry study.

Background: The prognostic significance of the relapse interval in patients with resected oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is a matter of ongoing debate. In this large-scale, registry-based, nationwide study, we examined whether the time interval between surgery and the first disease relapse may affect survival outcomes in Taiwanese patients with OCSCC.

Methods: Data made available by the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration as of 2004 were obtained.

Isolated Epiglottic Manifestations of HIV Infection: Two Cases Reports.

Diagnosis of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains challenging due to non-specific clinical presentations and mostly flu-like symptoms, e.g., fever, headache, sore throat, and general weakness.

Persistence of lower vocal intensity in vocal fold paralysis with cricothyroid impairment after hyaluronate injection.

Background: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) affects the glottal gap, voice, and aerodynamics, whereas injection laryngoplasty (IL) using hyaluronate is an effective treatment for UVFP by decreasing the glottal gap to improve voice. Previous studies have shown that the involvement of cricothyroid (CT) muscle in UVFP patients further affects patients' aerodynamics, but it remains unclear whether the difference remains after IL. This study investigates whether the aerodynamic features observed in UVFP with CT involvement could still be observed after IL.

Combined Airway and Bariatric Surgery (CABS) for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients with Morbid Obesity: A Comprehensive Alternative Preliminary Study.

Although continuous positive airway pressure is the gold standard for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it does not improve obesity. By contrast, bariatric surgery significantly improves obesity but with sustained OSA in the majority of patients. This study proposes a comprehensive technique—combined airway and bariatric surgery (CABS)—to improve both obesity and OSA.

Palatal hybrid surgery for obstructive sleep apnea-state-of-the-art annotation of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.

Background: Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has changed in concept and technique that transformed from radical excision to functional reconstruction. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of palatal hybrid surgery in OSA patients.

Methods: Palatal hybrid surgery is a tissue-specific technique (mucosa-preservation, tonsil-excision, fat-ablation, muscle-relocation/suspension) used in treating OSA patients with velopharyngeal obstruction.

Mild simulator sickness can alter heart rate variability, mental workload, and learning outcomes in a 360° virtual reality application for medical education: a post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Virtual reality (VR) applications could be beneficial for education, training, and treatment. However, VR may induce symptoms of simulator sickness (SS) such as difficulty focusing, difficulty concentrating, or dizziness that could impair autonomic nervous system function, affect mental workload, and worsen interventional outcomes. In the original randomized controlled trial, which explored the effectiveness of using a 360° VR video versus a two-dimensional VR video to learn history taking and physical examination skills, only the former group participants had SS.

Transoral Tongue Suspension for Obstructive Sleep Apnea-A Preliminary Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel technique for transoral tongue suspension (TOTS) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Material and Methods: The retrospective study enrolled 24 consecutive OSA patients (21 males; average age, 43 years; average apnea−hypopnea index (AHI), 42.2 event/h; average body mass index (BMI), 25.

Towards an Improved Pathological Node Classification for Prognostic Stratification of Patients With Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Results From a Nationwide Registry Study.

Background: To assess the prognostic significance of different nodal parameters [i.e., number of pathologically positive nodes, log odds of positive lymph nodes, lymph node ratio (LNR), and extra-nodal extension (ENE)] in Taiwanese patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC), and to devise an optimized pN classification system for predicting survival in OCSCC.

LigaSure versus Conventional Parotidectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Surgery with parotidectomy is the preferable treatment for most parotid tumors. Our meta-analysis compared the differences between the use of the LigaSure (LS) device and the conventional suture ligation technique (CT) in parotidectomies. A literature search in databases including EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library was carried out.

Clinical outcomes of patients with pT4a and pT4b oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma who had undergone surgery: Results from a Taiwanese registry-based, nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: While the NCCN guidelines maintain that T4b oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) should undergo either non-surgical treatments or clinical trials, promising outcomes of T4b OCSCC having surgical excision have been reported. We analyzed and compared the clinical outcomes of Taiwanese patients with pT4a and pT4b OCSCC who had undergone surgical treatment.

Methods: From 2011 to 2017, a total of 4031 and 355 patients with first primary pT4a and pT4b OCSCC were identified.