Publications by authors named "Willem Weijs"

Background: Reconstruction of skin defects after oncological surgery for a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is often mandatory to facilitate adjuvant treatment and/or to prevent chronic wound problems. Some of the most challenging regions to reconstruct after resection of a skin tumor are the frontal and parietal parts of the skull.

Methods: This article describes three patients with large skin defects after oncological surgery that were reconstructed with the use of a (hemi) visor flap.

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Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of flexible endoscopy-guided tracer injection for sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification in patients with laryngeal and pharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: Sixteen cT1-4N0-2M0 patients with laryngeal or pharyngeal carcinoma underwent intra- and peritumoral [ Tc]Tc-nanocolloid injections after topical anesthesia under endoscopic guidance. SPECT-CT scans were performed at two time points.

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Objective: To research the difference in shoulder morbidity and health-related quality of life between patients with cTN0 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma that undergo either elective neck dissection (END) or a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) based approach of the neck.

Materials And Methods: A longitudinal study with measurements before surgery, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. Shoulder morbidity were determined with measurements of active range of motion of the shoulder and patient-reported outcomes for shoulder morbidity (SDQ, SPADI) and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) (EQ5D, EORTC-QLQ-HN35).

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Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor of the skin mainly seen in the elderly. Its incidence is rising due to ageing of the population, increased sun exposure, and the use of immunosuppressive medication. Additionally, with the availability of specific immunohistochemical markers, MCC is easier to recognize.

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In head and neck cancer, the presence of nodal disease is a strong determinant of prognosis and treatment. Despite the use of modern multimodality diagnostic imaging, the prevalence of occult nodal metastases is relatively high. This is why in clinically node negative head and neck cancer the lymphatics are treated "electively" to eradicate subclinical tumor deposits.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to compare the conventional diagnostic workup for head and neck cancer (HNC) in 2009 with an optimized multidisciplinary approach introduced in 2014, focusing on improvements in patient care.
  • The results showed that patients in the optimized workup (OW) group started treatment significantly faster (21 days) than those in the conventional workup (CW) group (34 days), leading to a higher 3-year survival rate (84% vs 72%).
  • Patient satisfaction with care improved in the OW group, scoring an average of 9.1 compared to 8.5 for the CW group, with no significant difference in diagnostic costs between the two approaches.
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Background: Current intraoperative methods of visual inspection and tissue palpation by the surgeon, and frozen section analysis cannot reliably prevent inadequate surgical margins in patients treated for oral squamous-cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study assessed feasibility of MRI for the assessment of surgical resection margins in fresh OSCC specimens.

Methods: Ten consecutive tongue specimens containing OSCC were scanned using 3 T clinical whole-body MRI.

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Importance: Antibiotic prophylaxis is widely used after surgical procedures operating on the mucosal tissues of the aerodigestive tract, but the optimal duration of these prophylactic therapies is often unclear.

Objective: To compare short-course antibiotic prophylaxis (≤24 hours) vs extended-course antibiotic prophylaxis (≥72 hours) after ear, nose, throat, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Data Sources And Study Selection: Literature searches of PubMed were completed in October 2017 and included prospective trials that compared antibiotic prophylaxis courses of 24 hours or less vs 72 hours or more after ear, nose, throat, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to report long-term disease control and late radiation toxicity for patients reirradiated for head and neck cancer.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 137 patients reirradiated with a prescribed dose ≥45 Gy between 1986 and 2013 for a recurrent or second primary malignancy. Endpoints were locoregional control, overall survival (OS), and grade ≥4 late complications according to European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) criteria.

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Purpose: Purpose of this feasibility study was (1) to evaluate whether application of ex-vivo 7T MR of the resected tongue specimen containing squamous cell carcinoma may provide information on the resection margin status and (2) to evaluate the research and developmental issues that have to be solved for this technique to have the beneficial impact on clinical outcome that we expect: better oncologic and functional outcomes, better quality of life, and lower costs.

Methods: We performed a non-blinded validation of ex-vivo 7T MR to detect the tongue squamous cell carcinoma and resection margin in 10 fresh tongue specimens using histopathology as gold standard.

Results: In six of seven specimens with a histopathologically determined invasion depth of the tumor of [Formula: see text] mm, the tumor could be recognized on MR, with a resection margin within a 2 mm range as compared to histopathology.

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Objective: Since reconstruction of composite defects in the head and neck region is a challenging and demanding problem for head and neck surgeons, surgical aids have been sought for decades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of prefabricated surgical resection templates used in mandibular segmental resections in comparison to the virtual surgical plan.

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was performed in 11 consecutive patients, with a primary T4 oral squamous cell carcinoma or osteoradionecrosis of the mandible.

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A 71-year-old man underwent facial reconstructive surgery and a tracheotomy after nasal carcinoma. Several hours after surgery, accidental decannulation occurred and the patient died because the airway could not be resecured in time. This incident led to the implementation of an algorithm for emergency airway management in patients with a surgical airway after tracheotomy or laryngectomy.

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Purpose: Reconstruction of an oromandibular defect remains one of the most formidable surgical challenges faced by the reconstructive head and neck surgeon. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the added value of 3D imaging and planning in oromandibular reconstruction.

Materials And Methods: A 41-year-old dentate male patient with T2N0M0 osteosarcoma of the mandible required segmental resection of the lateral mandible.

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Objectives: To date, a great number of tissue engineering strategies have been suggested for alveolar cleft reconstruction; however, autologous bone grafting seems to remain the golden standard.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to evaluate the clinical evidence pertaining to enhancement or replacement of the autologous bone graft in the alveolar cleft by means of tissue-engineered substitutes; 16 articles were selected for analysis.

Results: Tissue engineering strategies for alveolar cleft grafting included enhancing the autologous bone graft by means of platelet-rich plasma addition, the use of barrier membranes and fibrin glue, extension of the autologous graft with calcium phosphate scaffolds, and replacement of the graft using bone morphogenetic protein-2, mesenchymal stem cells, or calcium phosphate scaffolds.

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Introduction: Orbital cellulitis is an uncommon, potentially devastating condition that, when not promptly and adequately treated, can lead to serious sequelae. The presenting clinical signs are proptosis, swelling, ophthalmoplegia, pain and redness of the peri-orbital tissues. A number of cases have been reported in which these symptoms have been mistakenly interpreted as being secondary to an orbital infection whilst, in fact, other pathology was present.

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