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Objectives: To evaluate the combination of ultrasound (US) + fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in the assessment of salivary gland tumours in the hands of the otolaryngologist. Design: A retrospective review of case notes was performed. Setting: Two university teaching hospitals in Switzerland. Participants: One hundred and three patients with a total of 106 focal masses of the salivary glands were included. Clinician-operated US + FNA were the first line of investigation for these lesions. All patients underwent surgical excision of the lesion, which allowed for confirmation of diagnosis by histopathology in 104 lesions and by laboratory testing in two lesions. Main outcome measures: Primary – diagnostic accuracy in identifying true salivary gland neoplasms and detecting malignancy. Secondary – predicting an approximate and specific diagnosis in these tumours. Results: The combination of US + FNA achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 99% in identifying and differentiating true salivary gland neoplasms from tumour-like lesions. In detecting malignancy, this combination permitted an accuracy of 98%. An approximate diagnosis was possible in 89%, and a specific diagnosis in 69% of our patients. Conclusions: Due to economic factors and a high diagnostic accuracy, the combination of US + FNA represents the investigation method of choice for most salivary gland tumours. We suggest that the otolaryngologist be employed in carrying out these procedures, as is already the rule in other medical specialties, while computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging should be reserved to those few lesions, which cannot be delineated completely by sonography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Neck masses of uncertain character need further investigation through imaging and tissue sampling. This is the most extensive study in the literature of clinician-operated ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration (US + FNA) of the head and neck with histological verification, itemized into organ system. The purpose of the present study was to comprehensively evaluate the combination of US + FNA in the assessment of various kinds of head and neck lesions in the hand of the clinician in one single study., Methods: A total of 408 histologically verified head and neck lesions in 376 consecutive patients undergoing all three diagnostic steps (US, FNA, US + FNA) were included. Excisional biopsy or core-needle biopsy served as a gold standard. US and FNA were evaluated alone and in combination to distinguish between malignant and benign lesions as well as to establish an approximate and specific diagnosis. Each calculation was itemized by organ system., Results: In detecting malignancy, US + FNA showed a significantly higher accuracy (97% vs 86% and 92%) than US and FNA alone. An approximate diagnosis was established in 93%, and a specific diagnosis in 88%, which was significantly better than that of US and FNA alone., Conclusion: US + FNA is suited for an efficient evaluation of head and neck masses. This combined method should be the first line of investigation in such lesions before any other imaging and/or sampling methods. While discrepancies in diagnostic findings potentially occur, the key is the interpretation of the package (US and cytologic findings, clinical information) made in one consultation by one clinician to proceed in proper decision making regarding an adequate treatment plan. Consequently US + FNA belong to the standard armamentarium of the otolaryngologist.

Background: Professional musicians have prolonged and intense physical contact with their instruments. This can lead to occupational skin diseases, particularly irritant and allergic contact dermatitis., Objectives: To assess the skin diseases and sensitization patterns common among professional musicians., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the data of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) was performed, including data from 1997 to 2017., Results: We identified 236 professional musicians. In this group, male sex (58.6%) and younger age (60.6% aged < 40 years) were common. The musicians suffered more frequently from facial dermatitis (23.7% vs 15.7%) and less often from leg dermatitis (5.1% vs 10.7%) than the control group (the non-musicians in the IVDK database). The most frequent diagnoses were allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and irritant contact dermatitis. The sensitization profile of the professional musicians was similar to that of the control group. In 8.9% of cases, an occupational background of skin disease was confirmed., Conclusions: Severe occupational skin diseases among professional musicians are not as common as in classic "skin-damaging" professions. However, as these skin conditions can mostly be controlled with simple preventive measures, we recommend that this group should be patch tested and treated by a specialist., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)