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Objective: To identify the prognostic significance of specific lymph node related characteristics for disease persistence and recurrence in patients with pre- or intra-operative evidence of neck metastases and no other risk factors., Method and Results: Sixty-eight patients were identified; 50 per cent had persistent or recurrent disease. All underwent the same treatment strategy. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the patient- or tumour-related parameters when patients with and without persistence or recurrence were compared. Patients with recurrent or persistent disease had significantly larger (>3 cm) metastatic lymph nodes, but there were no differences regarding other lymph node related parameters (i.e. number, extracapsular extension, number of lymph nodes with extracapsular extension, and central vs lateral neck location). On multivariate analysis, however, none of the parameters were predictive of persistent or recurrent disease., Conclusion: In papillary thyroid carcinoma patients with no other risk factors, pre- or intra-operative evidence of cervical metastases was associated with a very high rate of disease persistence or recurrence. Specific lymph node characteristics were not shown to have prognostic significance.

Background: Verrucous carcinoma occurs infrequently in the vocal folds. This tumour has an excellent prognosis with proper treatment. Management strategies include surgery, radiotherapy or both., Aim: To evaluate the long-term results of type I and II laser cordectomy for the treatment of verrucous carcinoma of the vocal folds., Materials and Methods: We reviewed the files of 18 patients with verrucous carcinoma of the vocal folds treated by type I or II laser cordectomy in our department from 1989 to 2006, and recorded clinical and outcome data., Results: None of the patients had any major post-operative complications. All had a subjectively satisfactory quality of voice, with no morbidity. Patient follow up ranged from three to 228 months (mean, 48 months). Five patients were treated with post-operative radiotherapy for persistent disease, of whom four underwent repeated surgery due to recurrence., Conclusion: Type I or II laser cordectomy is a safe, feasible, secure method of treating verrucous carcinoma of the vocal folds. There were no major complications in our patient series. Most recurrent disease was manageable locally with repeated surgery.

Objectives: The management of advanced laryngeal cancer has evolved in the last century, from total laryngectomy to chemoradiation. The aim of this study was to examine our experience with supracricoid partial laryngectomy as a possible solution for patients with advanced laryngeal tumours, with a focus on the oncological safety of the procedure and the functionality of the preserved larynges., Study Design: We reviewed the medical records of patients with laryngeal cancer who had undergone primary or salvage supracricoid partial laryngectomy at our department between 1998 and 2004., Results: Twenty-three patients treated with supracricoid partial laryngectomy for endolaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were identified. Median follow-up time was 35 months. Twelve patients had advanced laryngeal tumours. Eight patients were radiation failures. These factors were not associated with increased local recurrence or with decreased survival., Conclusion: Supracricoid partial laryngectomy appears to be a feasible option for the treatment of laryngeal tumours, even in the advanced stage or after failure of radiation therapy.

Bilateral vocal fold immobility in adduction usually creates severe dyspnoea. Many surgical procedures have been established to improve the airway insufficiency in affected patients. Over the last six years 22 patients with bilateral vocal fold immobility in our department have undergone CO(2) laser posterior ventriculocordectomy with partial arytenoidectomy (PVCPA). None had dyspnoea or a disturbance in the immediate post-operative period or during follow up, which ranged from five months to six years. Only one patient required a second procedure. Laser PVCPA appears to be an effective and reliable method for the treatment of bilateral vocal fold immobility in selected patients.

Lateral laryngeal saccular cysts of the larynx that herniate through the thyrohyoid membrane are quite rare. We present a case of a huge midcervical cyst which occurred as a result of extreme neglect of a lateral saccular cyst. This case provided us with a unique opportunity to characterize the late stages of this pathology. The differential diagnosis of cervical cysts and treatment approaches are discussed.

A case of fistulae in the inner canthus arising from the ethmoidal air cell sinuses is presented. This type of complication is very rare, and to the best of our knowledge no similar case has been reported in the literature. Clinical findings, imaging, pathology and treatment are presented and discussed.

Detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma primaries in patients presenting with neck node metastases may sometimes demand considerable efforts. By using the 'in situ hybridization' technique, we manage to identify the Epstein-Barr virus in neck metastases secondary to nasopharyngeal carcinomas. We propose that such identification in neck node metastases where the primary lesion is unknown indicates a nasopharyngeal primary.

DNA content was measured by flow-cytometric analysis in 30 paraffin embedded sections from patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The morphological characteristics and N staging of the tumours as registered in their clinical charts were correlated with their DNA content. Eighty per cent of the tumours were found to have a predominantly aneuploid distribution of DNA values. There was no correlation between the N stage of the tumour or degree of cell differentiation and DNA content. A multiploid pattern correlates with non-metastatic laryngeal tumours and we suggest that this pattern may be a good indicator for biological activity.

Bullous myringitis is considered to be a self-limiting disease without complications. Clinical evidence has shown it to be frequently accompanied by sensorineural hearing loss, more often than it was thought to be. The case of a 20-year-old girl is presented in whom bullous myringitis was accompanied by transient sensorineural hearing loss. The site of the lesion was determined to be in the cochlea. We determined, with a high degree of certainty, that the causative agent was mycoplasma.