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Major salivary gland malignancies are rare, constituting 1%-3% of head-neck tumours. The surgical management of the clinically negative neck (cN0) does not have a univocal consensus yet. We have carried out a retrospective study on 119 cases of malignant parotid tumours that were surgically treated between January 1999 and January 2014. Our aim was to analyse preoperative findings (cytotype, cTNM) and to correlate these with postoperative results (grading, histotype, occult neck metastasis) in patients with parotid tumours to obtain an appropriate indication for neck management. In cN0 patients with a T1, T2 low-grade cancer a wait-and-see approach is preferred. Instead, in cNO patients with high-grade or low-grade T3, T4 tumours an elective neck dissection (END) is always planned. Levels II, III and IV, at least, must be dissected. The decision to dissect level V or I depends on the location of the primary tumour. In the cN0 group 19 of 58 (32.7%) patients who underwent an END had occult metastases. In clinically positive neck (cN+) patients a Modified Radical Neck Dissection (MRND), at least, must be performed. The criteria to add adjuvant radiotherapy (PORT) include deep lobe parotid tumours, advanced lesions (T3-T4), microscopic (R2) or macroscopic (R1) residual disease after surgery, high grade tumours, perineural diffusion, lymph node metastasis, capsular rupture, and local recurrence after previous surgery. Kaplan-Meier analyses have shown a reduction in the overall survival (OS) from 100% to 91% and in disease-free survival (DFS) from 100% to 95.5% for the NO-PORT and PORT group, respectively. In our study, the cN0 pN+ patients had a higher degree of DFS compared to the cN+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case of an 80 year-old woman with severe hematoma and consequently a compartmental syndrome of the hand complicated with acute bullous eruption due to extravasation of contrast material. Compartment syndrome of the hand has been linked to a number of various etiologies. Failure to adequately diagnose and treat compartment syndromes of the hand can lead to irreparable functional loss. In the majority of the cases extravasation results only in minimal swelling or erythema. However, severe skin necrosis, ulceration and compartment syndrome may occur with extravasation of large volumes. Compartment syndrome was diagnosed, and the patient underwent immediately fasciotomy. After fasciotomy we weekly followed up our patient with medications and after she regained the full use of the hand. We report this case to assess the importance of a careful evaluation of the intravenous administration site and close monitoring of the patient during contrast material injection to obtain minimal or prevent every kind of extravasation injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the research paper "Hemostatic devices in abdominal surgery," presented at the 23rd annual meeting of the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery, held in Lecce, Italy during December 2-4, 2010, is presented.

Background: The widespread diffusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms is revolutionizing how health-related information is disseminated, thereby highlighting the need for tools to evaluate the quality of such information. This study aimed to propose and validate the Quality Assessment of Medical Artificial Intelligence (QAMAI), a tool specifically designed to assess the quality of health information provided by AI platforms., Methods: The QAMAI tool has been developed by a panel of experts following guidelines for the development of new questionnaires. A total of 30 responses from ChatGPT4, addressing patient queries, theoretical questions, and clinical head and neck surgery scenarios were assessed by 27 reviewers from 25 academic centers worldwide. Construct validity, internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed to validate the tool., Results: The validation was conducted on the basis of 792 assessments for the 30 responses given by ChatGPT4. The results of the exploratory factor analysis revealed a unidimensional structure of the QAMAI with a single factor comprising all the items that explained 51.1% of the variance with factor loadings ranging from 0.449 to 0.856. Overall internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.837). The Interclass Correlation Coefficient was 0.983 (95% CI 0.973-0.991; F (29,542) = 68.3; p < 0.001), indicating excellent reliability. Test-retest reliability analysis revealed a moderate-to-strong correlation with a Pearson's coefficient of 0.876 (95% CI 0.859-0.891; p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The QAMAI tool demonstrated significant reliability and validity in assessing the quality of health information provided by AI platforms. Such a tool might become particularly important/useful for physicians as patients increasingly seek medical information on AI platforms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study evaluates the quality and readability of informed consent documents generated by AI platforms ChatGPT-4 and Bard Gemini Advanced compared to those written by a first-year oral surgery resident for common oral surgery procedures. The evaluation, conducted by 18 experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeons, assessed consents for accuracy, completeness, readability, and overall quality. ChatGPT-4 consistently outperformed both Bard and human-written consents. ChatGPT-4 consents had a median accuracy score of 4 [IQR 4-4], compared to Bard's 3 [IQR 3-4] and human's 4 [IQR 3-4]. Completeness scores were higher for ChatGPT-4 (4 [IQR 4-5]) than Bard (3 [IQR 3-4]) and human (4 [IQR 3-4]). Readability was also superior for ChatGPT-4, with a median score of 4 [IQR 4-5] compared to Bard and human consents, both at 4 [IQR 4-4] and 4 [IQR 3-4], respectively. The Gunning Fog Index for ChatGPT-4 was 17.2 [IQR 16.5-18.2], better than Bard's 23.1 [IQR 20.5-24.7] and the human consents' 20 [IQR 19.2-20.9]. Overall, ChatGPT-4's consents received the highest quality ratings, underscoring AI's potential in enhancing patient communication and the informed consent process. The study suggests AI can reduce misinformation risks and improve patient understanding, but continuous evaluation, oversight, and patient feedback integration are crucial to ensure the effectiveness and appropriateness of AI-generated content in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation among inflammatory biomarkers, such as the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the recurrence of pleomorphic adenomas (PAs)., Study Design: This was a retrospective multicenter study. Six hundred eight patients diagnosed with PA and treated by tumor enucleation were included in the analyses. The patients were extracted from a 20-year database of 2 referral centers (January 2000 to January 2020). Data about age, gender, voluntary habits, tumor characteristics, tumor treatment, and values of NLR, PLR, and SII were collected. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the optimal cutoff values for SII, PLR, and NLR. A linear regression model (LRM) and a nonlinear logistic regression model (NLRM) were implemented for NLR, PLR, and SII., Results: All 3 inflammatory parameters were statistically significant correlated to the recurrence of the tumor. The best performance was achieved by NLR (cutoff of 2.960) with area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.91, accuracy of 96.1%, sensitivity of 78.4% and specificity of 97.2%, PPV = 64.4%, and NPV = 98.6%. LRM and NLRM including all hematological parameters did not improve performance in terms of recurrence detection., Conclusions: The use of 3 inflammatory biomarkers could be a useful tool to predict recurrence of tumor in case of PA ≤ 3 cm. NLR in particular could be sensitive with a cutoff of 2.960. The use of NLR, PLR, and SII could be a good reference point for surgical decision making and follow-up in clinical practice. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol YEAR;VOL:page range)., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives : This study aimed to determine the impact of standing electric scooters on maxillofacial on the Italian territory. Methods : The authors analyzed the epidemiology of the injuries to define electric mobility's impact on maxillofacial surgery practice. For this retrospective cohort study, data were collected by unifying the standing e-scooter-related fractures database from 10 Italian maxillofacial surgery departments. The reference period considered was from January 2020 to December 2023. The main data considered included age, gender, type of access, time slot of admission, type of admission, alcohol level, helmet use, dynamics of the accident, and area of the fracture. Results : A total of 79 patients were enrolled. The average age of the participants was approximately 31 years. The blood alcohol level was found to be above the Italian norm in 15 cases (19%). Only one patient wore a helmet. The most affected facial third was the middle one with 36 cases (45.5%), followed by the lower one (31, 39.3%). The most recurrent patterns were fractures of the orbito-malar-zygomatic complex (15, 19%), followed by multifocal (bifocal, trifocal) fractures of the mandible (14, 17.5%). Conclusions : This study demonstrated how maxillofacial fractures related to the use of electric scooters are associated with complex patterns, associated with a high rate of post-surgical aftermaths.

With the increasing use of sustainable energy sources, the electric scooter has become a widely used vehicle. The aim of the study is to analyse the types of facial fracture related to road traffic accidents to outline the need for dedicated road rules. An observational, retrospective, multicentre study was carried out at the Maxillofacial Surgery Units of six Italian hospitals. Fifty patients (mean age was 34.76 years) from January 2020 to January 2024 were enrolled. The severity of trauma was evaluated by the Facial Injury Severity Scale (FISS) by Bagheri et al. Most of the accidents occurred during the day and the weekend in spring or summer; 24 drivers collided with infrastructures or pedestrians, while 26 involved other vehicles. A total of 33 vehicles were rented, and 17 were privately owned. A total of 43 subjects were not wearing helmets, five patients were drunk, and three patients took drugs. In order of frequency, the facial fractures involved: zygomatico-maxillary-orbital complex (ZMOC) (n = 16), mandibular condyle (n = 13), nasal bone (n = 11), orbit floor (n = 8), and mandibular body (n = 7). Fractures such as Le Fort I (n = 4), naso-orbito-ethmoidal NOE (n = 4) and mandibular ramus (n = 4) were less common. Other types of facial fracture were rare. Thirty patients reported multiple facial fractures. The vast majority of the cases showed a low severity grade FISS score. Fifteen patients suffered polytrauma. The mean hospitalisation time was 8.3 days. As accidents with electric scooters are increasing, it is important to characterise the most frequent facial fractures to improve patient management and encourage the introduction of new road rules., (Copyright © 2024 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The objective of this multicenter study was to examine the differences in maxillo-facial fractures epidemiology across the various phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic., Methods: This is a retrospective study on patients who underwent surgery for facial bone fractures in 18 maxillo-facial surgery departments in Italy, spanning from June 23, 2019, to February 23, 2022. Based on the admission date, the data were classified into four chronological periods reflecting distinct periods of restrictions in Italy: pre-pandemic, first wave, partial restrictions, and post-pandemic. Epidemiological differences across the groups were analysed., Results: The study included 2938 patients. A statistically significant difference in hospitalization causes was detected between the pre-pandemic and first wave groups (p = 0.005) and between the pre-pandemic and partial restriction groups (p = 0.002). The differences between the pre- and post-pandemic groups were instead not significant (p = 0.106). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the number of patients of African origin was significantly higher during the first wave and the post-pandemic period. No statistically significant differences were found across the periods concerning gender, age, fracture type, treatment approach, and hospital stay duration CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in fracture epidemiology, influenced by the restrictive measures enforced by the government in Italy. Upon the pandemic's conclusion, the fracture epidemiology returned to the patterns observed in the pre-pandemic period., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the accuracy of Chat-Based Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in answering questions and solving clinical scenarios of head and neck surgery., Study Design: Observational and valuative study., Setting: Eighteen surgeons from 14 Italian head and neck surgery units., Methods: A total of 144 clinical questions encompassing different subspecialities of head and neck surgery and 15 comprehensive clinical scenarios were developed. Questions and scenarios were inputted into ChatGPT4, and the resulting answers were evaluated by the researchers using accuracy (range 1-6), completeness (range 1-3), and references' quality Likert scales., Results: The overall median score of open-ended questions was 6 (interquartile range[IQR]: 5-6) for accuracy and 3 (IQR: 2-3) for completeness. Overall, the reviewers rated the answer as entirely or nearly entirely correct in 87.2% of cases and as comprehensive and covering all aspects of the question in 73% of cases. The artificial intelligence (AI) model achieved a correct response in 84.7% of the closed-ended questions (11 wrong answers). As for the clinical scenarios, ChatGPT provided a fully or nearly fully correct diagnosis in 81.7% of cases. The proposed diagnostic or therapeutic procedure was judged to be complete in 56.7% of cases. The overall quality of the bibliographic references was poor, and sources were nonexistent in 46.4% of the cases., Conclusion: The results generally demonstrate a good level of accuracy in the AI's answers. The AI's ability to resolve complex clinical scenarios is promising, but it still falls short of being considered a reliable support for the decision-making process of specialists in head-neck surgery., (© 2023 The Authors. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the recovery of olfactory function at six months in individuals infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 omicron variant, using psychophysical tests., Methods: A prospective case-control study that included severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 patients infected in February and March 2022 was conducted. Patients underwent the Sniffin' Sticks test within 10 days of infection and again after at least 6 months. The olfactory scores were compared with those of a control group., Results: In all, 102 patients and 120 controls were enrolled in the study. At baseline, 26 patients (25.5 per cent) self-reported smell loss. The median threshold, discrimination and identification score was 33.6 (interquartile range, 12.5) for the cases and 36.5 (interquartile range, 4.38) for the controls ( p < 0.001). Based on the threshold, discrimination and identification scores, 12 controls and 34 patients reported olfactory dysfunction ( p < 0.001). Eighty cases underwent re-evaluation at six months; the median threshold, discrimination and identification score was 37.1 (interquartile range, 4.75) with no significant differences compared with the controls., Conclusion: Six months after infection, the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in patients did not differ significantly from the control population.

Although scalp defects can vary in size and thickness, scalp avulsion represents a rare occurrence. This type of lesion may have different origins, but it is usually related to long hair being caught in agricultural machinery. The management of full-thickness scalp defects poses a challenge to the head and neck surgeon due to the possible involvement of neurovascular structures and scar retraction, which can affect the esthetic restoration of the area. Several algorithms for the choice of scalp reconstruction have been proposed in the literature and different techniques are available for extensive scalp defect reconstruction (local soft tissue flap, microvascular free flap, and skin graft combined with dermal substitutes), based upon the scalp defect type. Here we describe six cases of patients with total scalp avulsion, which required a combined reconstruction with a split-thickness skin graft (STSG) and Integra ® matrix immediately after the trauma.

This study aims to analyse the relationship between the incidence of bad splits and the surgical tools adopteded to perform bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO).BSSROs performed by the same experienced surgeon period were reviewed, retrospectively. The patients were divided into three groups according to the surgical instrument used to perform the osteotomy: a Lindemann burr, reciprocating saw or piezosurgery. Among the 1120 BSSROs performed, 5 bad fractures were detected during the observation period: 3 among patients operated with the Lindemann burr (0.8%) and 2 among those operated with a reciprocating saw (0.5%). There was no significant correlation between the bad split rate and age and gender of the patients, the type of malocclusion or the type of instrument used to perform the osteotomy. Within the limitations of the study it seems that the the choice of the osteotomy tool for BSSRO does not influence the rate of bad fractures and, therefore, the selection of the osteotmy tool should be left to the discretion of the surgeon., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. G. Salzano: Conceptualization, Methodology; G. Audino: Writing - Original Draft, Data curation; M. Friscia: Resources, Investigation. L. A. Vaira: Writing - Review & Editing; A. Biglio: Writing - Review & Editing; F. Maglitto: Visualization; U. Committeri: Data Curation; P. Piombino: Resources; P. Bonavolontà: Visualization; M. Petrocelli: Data Curation; S. Perrotta: Data Curation L. Califano: Visualization, Supervision., (Copyright © 2022 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this multicenter case-control study was to evaluate a group of patients at least 1 year after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with Sniffin' Sticks tests and to compare the results with a control population to quantify the potential bias introduced by the underlying prevalence of olfactory dysfunction (OD) in the general population. The study included 170 cases and 170 controls. In the COVID-19 group, 26.5% of cases had OD (anosmia in 4.7%, hyposmia in 21.8%) versus 3.5% in the control group (6 cases of hyposmia). The TDI score (threshold, discrimination, and identification) in the COVID-19 group was significantly lower than in the control group (32.5 [interquartile range, 29-36.5] vs 36.75 [34-39.5], P < .001). The prevalence of OD was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group, confirming that this result is not due to the underlying prevalence of OD in the general population.

Purpose: The aim of this study has been to describe our experience with pleomorphic adenomas of the parapharyngeal space (PPS) treated with trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS). Tumors arising from the PPS comprise less than 0.5% of all head and neck tumors. Salivary gland tumors account for 40% to 50% of PPS lesions with pleomorphic adenomas representing the most common salivary tumors (80%-90%). Parapharyngeal space tumors cause nonspecific symptoms and may be difficult to diagnose., Methods: In our study a preoperative diagnosis was conducted by fine needle aspiration biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging and the results were used to plan the correct surgical approach., Results: In all cases we were able to employ TORS, a minimally invasive procedure that allows us to operate in narrow and anatomically complex spaces that we can only reach thanks to the use of well-articulated hand pieces., Conclusions: This report indicates that TORS is a safe surgical procedure for the excision of benign tumors of the PPS in selected cases., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Background : The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of early administration of oral corticosteroids (OC) or nasal corticosteroids (NC) as an add-on to olfactory training (OT) versus OT alone in patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods : Patients with a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 and OD were prospectively recruited from March 22 to December 15, 2020 from 4 European hospitals. Patients had confirmed OD on psychophysical testing. All patients undertook OT, with add-on 10 days of OC (group 1: OC + OT), or 1 month of NC (group 2: NC + OT) or olfactory training alone (group 3: OT). Olfactory evaluations (Sniffin'Sticks tests) were carried out at the time of inclusion, 1 and 2 months after the start of the therapeutic course. Results : A total of 152 hyposmic or anosmic patients completed the study. Group 1, 2 and 3 included 59, 22 and 71 patients, respectively and all patient groups were comparable regarding baseline Sniffin'Sticks tests. The median Sniffin'Sticks test values significantly improved from pre- to post-intervention in all groups. The increase of Sniffin'Sticks test values was higher in group 1 (OC + OT) compared with groups 2 and 3 ( p < 0.001) at one month after treatment but did not remain so at 2 months. Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively, presented parosmia in 20/71 (28.2%), 9/22 (40.9%) and 42/71 (59.2%) patients. This difference was statistically significant between group 1 and 3 ( p < 0.001). There were no patients with a worsening of the disease or an increase of the severity of the COVID-19 symptoms. Conclusions : The use of OCs in patients with OD related to mild COVID-19 is generally well-tolerated without any case of deterioration of symptoms. OC is associated with greater improvement in psychophysical olfactory evaluations at 1-month post-treatment but there was no difference at 2 months. Parosmia may be reduced following treatment with OC and NC. On the basis of these preliminary results, it is possible to state that considering the 2 months efficacy of OC and NC with respect to the OT alone and the risk-benefit ratio, the benefit to start a specific treatment of COVID-19 related OD cannot be demonstrated and there is a need for a randomised controlled trial to assess this further.

Background: The growing number of COVID-19 patients with long-lasting olfactory disorders makes it necessary to identify ef- fective treatments that enhance the spontaneous recovery of olfactory function., Methods: Multicentre randomised case-control study that involved 18 patients with COVID-19 related anosmia or severe hyposmia for more than 30 days. Nine patients were prescribed systemic prednisone and nasal irrigation with betamethasone, ambroxol and rinazine for 15 days. The other 9, untreated, patients were used as controls. The olfactory function was evaluated with CCCRC test at 20 and 40 days from the first evaluation., Results: In the control group, a median olfactory score of 20 (IQR 30) was detected at baseline. At the 20-day control there was no significant improvement in olfactory function. The improvement in olfactory performance became significant at the 40-day follow-up compared to baseline scores [60 (IQR 60) versus 20 (IQR 30)]. In the treatment group, patients had a mean olfactory score of 10 (IQR 15) at initial control. At the 20-day control, a significant im-provement in the olfactory scores, compared to the baseline, was detected [70 (IQR 40) versus 10 (IQR 15)]. Olfactory function further improved at 40 days [median score 90 (IQR 50)]. Patients in the treatment group reported significantly higher improvements of the olfactory scores than the controls at both the 20-day [40 (IQR 45) versus 10 (IQR 15)] and 40-day [60 (IQR 40) versus 30 (IQR 25)] evaluations., Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the mix of drugs including steroids could represent a useful specific therapy to reduce the prevalence of this long-term morbidity.

Background: The objective evaluation of the olfactory function of coronavirus disease 2019 patients is difficult because of logistical and operator-safety problems. For this reason, in the literature, the data obtained from psychophysical tests are few and based on small case series., Methods: A multicenter, cohort study conducted in seven European hospitals between March 22 and August 20, 2020. The Sniffin-Sticks test and the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center orthonasal olfaction test were used to objectively evaluate the olfactory function., Results: This study included 774 patients, of these 481 (62.1%) presented olfactory dysfunction (OD): 280 were hyposmic and 201 were anosmic. There was a significant difference between self-reported anosmia/hyposmia and psychophysical test results ( p = 0.006). Patients with gastroesophageal disorders reported a significantly higher probability of presenting hyposmia (OR 1.86; p = 0.015) and anosmia (OR 2.425; p < 0.001). Fever, chest pain, and phlegm significantly increased the likelihood of having hyposmia but not anosmia or an olfactory disturbance. In contrast, patients with dyspnea, dysphonia, and severe-to-critical COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have no anosmia, while these symptoms had no effect on the risk of developing hyposmia or an OD., Conclusions: Psychophysical assessment represents a significantly more accurate assessment tool for olfactory function than patient self-reported clinical outcomes. Olfactory disturbances appear to be largely independent from the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the patients. The non-association with rhinitis symptoms and the high prevalence as a presenting symptom make olfactory disturbances an important symptom in the differential diagnosis between COVID-19 and common flu.

Objectives: The aim of our study is to evaluate the influence of patient risk factors and the length of surgical time on the onset of BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) and suggest surgical and clinical strategies to prevent this rare complication., Method: Our retrospective study analyzes that, in 2 years, 281 patients, divided into three groups, underwent wisdom teeth extraction, sinus lift elevation and orthognathic surgery, at the Oral and Maxillofacial Department of the University of Naples "Federico II.", Results: Twenty-one patients presented postoperative BPPV. Some comorbidities, like dyslipidemia, high cholesterol levels, vascular problems, endocrinological disorders, perimenopausal age, female gender, cranial trauma, neurologic disorders, migraine, hypovitaminosis D, autoimmune disease, flogosis of inner ear, can be risk factors to the occurrence of postoperative vertigo., Conclusion: Our statistical analysis revealed a relationship between surgical time and comorbidity and onset of vertigo for each group of patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of India 2019.)

Background: The lack of objective data makes it difficult to establish the prognostic value of chemosensitive disorders in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We aimed to prospectively monitor patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to see if the severity of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction associates with subsequent disease severity., Methods: Multicentre prospective study that recruited 106 COVID-19 subjects at diagnosis. Chemosensitive functions were assessed with psychophysical tests within 4 days of clinical onset, at 10 and 20 days. Daily body temperature and oxygen saturation were recorded as markers of disease severity alongside need for hospitalisation. The correlation between olfactory and gustatory scores and disease severity was assessed with linear regression analysis., Results: At T0, 71 patients (67%) presented with olfactory dysfunction while gustatory impairment was detected in 76 cases (65.6%). Chemosensitive disorders gradually improved over the observation period. No significant correlations were found between T0 chemosensitive scores and final disease severity. The correlation between olfactory scores and fever proved significant at T2 (p = 0.05), while the relationship with gustatory scores was significant at T1 (p = 0.01) and T2 (p <  0.001), however neither was clinically relevant. The correlation between chemosensitive scores and oxygen saturation was significant only for taste at T2 (p <  0.001). Logistic regression analysis found significant correlations between olfactory impairment severity and need for hospitalization at T2 (OR 3.750, p = 0.005)., Conclusions: Initial objective olfactory and gustatory scores do not seem to have a significant prognostic value in predicting the severity of the COVID-19 course; however, persistence of olfactory dysfunction at 20 days, associated with a more severe course. Unfortunately, olfactory and gustatory dysfunction do not seem to hold prognostic value at the time of initial diagnosis.

Background: Chemosensitive disorders are very frequent in the early stages of COVID-19 and in paucisymptomatic cases. These patients are typically placed in home quarantine. This study has the aim of validating a new olfactory and gustatory objective evaluation test in these patients., Methods: Thirty-three home-quarantined COVID-19 patients have undergone a self-administered chemosensitive test the day before the control swab. On this occasion, the patients underwent operator-administered already validated tests. The results were finally compared., Results: The differences between the results of the two tests were not significant for both the olfaction (P =.201) and the taste (P =.180)., Conclusion: The olfactory and gustatory evaluation by self-administered test can be considered a valid tool, fundamental for obtaining objective qualitative and quantitative data on the extent of chemosensitive disorders in home-quarantined COVID-19 patients., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Objective data on chemosensitive disorders during COVID-19 are lacking in the Literature., Methods: Multicenter cohort study that involved four Italian hospitals. Three hundred and forty-five COVID-19 patients underwent objective chemosensitive evaluation., Results: Chemosensitive disorders self-reported by 256 patients (74.2%) but the 30.1% of the 89 patients who did not report dysfunctions proved objectively hyposmic. Twenty-five percentage of patients were seen serious long-lasting complaints. All asymptomatic patients had a slight lowering of the olfactory threshold. No significant correlations were found between the presence and severity of chemosensitive disorders and the severity of the clinical course. On the contrary, there is a significant correlation between the duration of the olfactory and gustatory symptoms and the development of severe COVID-19., Conclusions: Patients under-report the frequency of chemosensitive disorders. Contrary to recent reports, such objective testing refutes the proposal that the presence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may predict a milder course, but instead suggests that those with more severe disease neglect such symptoms in the setting of severe respiratory disease., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The first European case series are detecting a very high frequency of chemosensitive disorders in COVID-19 patients, ranging between 19.4% and 88%., Methods: Olfactory and gustatory function was objectively tested in 72 COVID-19 patients treated at University Hospital of Sassari., Results: Overall, 73.6% of the patients reported having or having had chemosensitive disorders. Olfactory assessment showed variable degree hyposmia in 60 cases and anosmia in two patients. Gustatory assessment revealed hypogeusia in 33 cases and complete ageusia in one patient. Statistically significant differences in chemosensitive recovery were detected based on age and distance from the onset of clinical manifestations., Conclusion: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions represent common clinical findings in COVID-19 patients. Otolaryngologists and head-neck surgeons must by now keep this diagnostic option in mind when evaluating cases of ageusia and nonspecific anosmia that arose suddenly and are not associated with rhinitis symptoms., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Maxillofacial fractures represent a serious public health problem. Their epidemiology is extremely variable and its analysis is crucial to establish effective treatment and prevention of these injuries. The aim of this multicentric retrospective study was to analyze causes, demographics, incidence, characteristics of 987 patients diagnosed with maxillofacial trauma between 2011 and 2015 at Complex Operative Unit of Maxillofacial Surgery of Federico II University of Naples and Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Italy; 657 male and 310 female patients were admitted in the study. The most frequently observed fracture involved the mandible (399 patients, 35.4%), followed by zygomatic complex (337 patients, 29.9%), orbital walls (160 patients, 14.2%), and nasal bones (129 patients, 11.4%). The most frequent cause of fracture was assaults (30.4%), followed by road traffic injuries (27.2%), falls (23.2%), sport accidents (15.4%), and others causes (2.6%). Significant variations of etiology have been detected between the 2 hospitals in relationship with different migration flow trends and cultural and socioeconomic features. Epidemiological analysis of maxillofacial fractures is crucial to identify the trauma burden and to help in developing a more efficient system to plan resource allocation and to deliver care and preventive measures establishing clinical and research priorities for effective treatment and prevention of these injuries.