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Objective: To determine in-hospital costs associated with performing an EEA to anterior skull base pathology and to identify drivers of cost variability for patients undergoing endoscopic anterior skull base surgery. Methods: All endoscopic anterior skull base surgeries performed over a period from January 1st, 2015 to October 24th, 2017 were evaluated. The electronic medical record was reviewed for patient factors, tumor characteristics, and cost variables associated with each hospital stay and univariate analysis was performed using Stata software. Results: An EEA was associated with an average total in-hospital cost of $44 545. Compared to patients undergoing a transsphenoidal approach to pituitary tumor resection, EEA patients incurred higher in-hospital costs across all variables including a total cost increase of $15 921 (95% confidence interval $5720-26 122, P =.002). Univariate analysis of all endoscopic anterior skull base surgery patients showed a cost increase of $30 616 associated with post-operative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak ($10 420-50 811, P =.004), $14 610 with post-operative diabetes insipidus (DI) ($4610-24 609, P =.004), and $11 522 with African-American patients relative to Caucasian patients ($3049-19 995, P =.008). Conclusions: Patients who undergo endoscopic EEA for resection of anterior skull base tumors typically incur greater in-hospital costs than patients undergoing a standard TSA. Post-operative complications such as CSF leak and DI, as well as ethnicity, are significant drivers of cost-variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 71-year-old manwitha history of a pituitary prolactinoma and metastatic pancreatic carcinoma presented with epi-staxis, visual changes, bilateral ophthalmoplegia, involuntary closure of the left eye, andptosis of the right eye. The patient was found to have a soft-tissue mass in the posterior nasal cavity with extension through the floor of the sella turcica, the sphenoid sinuses, cavernous sinuses, and suprasellar region. The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room. Intraoperative frozen section of the sinonasal mass demonstrated carcinoma. The final pathology of the mass revealedsinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC)--the patient's secondskull base lesion and thirdprimary neoplasm. SNUC is a rare neoplasm of the sinonasal cavities that rapidly progresses from symptom onset to mortality in the presence of aggressive multidimensional therapies. Given its poor prognosis andpossibly devastatingtreatments, an open discussion of treatment options between physicians and the patient is of the utmost importance. Although SNUC is rare, it is important that practicing otolaryngologists, neurosur-geons, and skull base surgeons be familiar with this disease process--especially when caring for patients with a history of a benign skull base neoplasm and concern for possible recurrence, as was the case in this report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle meatal spacers are used by many sinus surgeons to aid postoperative care. Aspiration of a spacer is a concern. We demonstrate a novel method of securing spacers with a transseptal suture to prevent aspiration. We fashion each spacer from a powder-free, nonlatex glove finger that is packed with a Merocel sponge. The open end of the finger is closed with 2-0 Prolene sutures. For a bilateral procedure, the needle is left attached to one of the spacers. A spacer is placed in each ethmoid cavity, the attached needle is passed through the anterior cartilaginous septum, and the suture is tied to the suture on the opposite spacer. For unilateral procedures, the suture on the single spacer is passed to the contralateral side and tied on itself One week later, the transseptal suture is cut and the spacers are removed. We performed this procedure on 78 patients who had undergone total ethmoidectomy. None of the spacers migrated during the I week they were in place. One patient complained of pain during removal of a spacer. During follow-up of 2 to 10 months, we found no evidence of injury to the septum at the site of the transseptal suture. We conclude that the transseptal suture is a safe and cosmetically superior method of securing middle meatal spacers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses are traditionally approached by a variety of external incisions. Recent advances in endoscopie endonasal surgery have allowed for some of these tumors to be treated endoscopically. The purpose of this study was to assess the outcomes and complications of the endoscopie approach in a series of patients with paranasal sinus malignancies. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients with sinonasal or skull base malignancies treated with endoscopie or endoscopic-assisted resections at a tertiary care institution from 2002 to 2010. Patient data were collected on symptoms, tumor type, operative technique, and postoperative course. Baseline risk factors, overall and disease-free survival data, and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: Of the total 49 patients, 36 (73%) underwent an endoscopie approach and 13 (27%) underwent endoscopic- assisted approaches. Sarcomas (9 cases) were the most common tumor type, followed by squamous cell carcinoma (8), adenocarcinoma (8), and melanoma (7). The mean follow-up time for all patients was 3.58 years (range, 1.1 to 8.8 years). Surgical complications were more frequent with open approaches than with endoscopie approaches (23.1% versus 5.6%; p = 0.11). Medical complications were significantly more common with open approaches (38.5% versus 8.3%; p = 0.02). The disease-specific mortality rate was 8% (4 of 49). The local tumor recurrence rate was 16% (8 of 49). The 3-year disease-free survival rates were 86.8% in the endoscopie group and 67.7% in the open group (p = 0.047); however, the patients in the endoscopie group had lower T stages (p = 0.0068) and lower ASA scores (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Endoscopie approaches to the sinuses and skull base have become progressively more sophisticated with advances in skull base reconstruction, advances in surgical technique, and improvements in technology. This study demonstrates the relative safety and utility of the endoscopie approach for sinonasal and skull base malignancies. In carefully selected patients, endoscopie approaches demonstrate survival rates comparable to those of traditional surgery, and fewer perioperative complications. With appropriate planning and careful surgical decision-making, endoscopie surgery shows promise as a minimally invasive alternative in the treatment of sinonasal malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecthyma gangrenosum is a rare necrotizing cutaneous infection usually caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We report a case of ecthyma gangrenosum presenting as a sinonasal eschar and mimicking acute invasive fungal sinusitis in an immunocompromised 39-year-old man with a hematologic malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the fi rst case of ecthyma gangrenosum affecting the sinonasal mucosa to be reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecthyma gangrenosum is a rare necrotizing cutaneous infection usually caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We report a case of ecthyma gangrenosum presenting as a sinonasal eschar and mimicking acute invasive fungal sinusitis in an immunocompromised 39-year-old man with a hematologic malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first case of ecthyma gangrenosum affecting the sinonasal mucosa to be reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tension pneumocephalus is a rare complication of functional endoscopic sinus surgery that may lead to rapid neurologic deterioration. Patients typically display symptoms within hours after the operation, and computed tomography reveals the presence of a skull base defect. We report a unique case of subacute tension pneumocephalus with no obvious skull base defect, which was associated with a pupil-involving third-nerve palsy. We discuss management of this complication and preventive measures for avoiding pneumocephalus after functional endoscopic sinus surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]