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Reconstructive Plastic Surgery of the Head and Neck: Current Techniques and Flap Atlas

Head and neck reconstruction continues to provide a challenge to surgeons, driving innovative approaches in free-flap surgery and a need to embrace developing technologies. This excellent text, written primarily by authors from the renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas,...

Which factors affect the postoperative CSF leak following endoscopic skull base surgery?

Endoscopic skull base surgery is being increasingly performed worldwide for skull base tumours. Common indications include pituitary tumours, rathke cleft cysts, chordomas, craniopharyngiomas and olfactory neuroblastomas. The most common and important complication following endoscopic skull base surgery is postoperative CSF...

Can comorbidities predict complications after total laryngectomy? Utility of the Modified Frailty Index (mFI) score

Decision making regarding appropriate treatment for laryngeal cancer is complex. Patients undergoing total laryngectomy experience significant changes in anatomy and physiology and are at risk for significant postoperative complications. These patients represent a group with significant comorbidities. In addition, patients...

Vestibular function preservation after minimally invasive paediatric cochlear implantation

This retrospective study analysed results in 24 paediatric patients with low-frequency residual hearing before and after minimally invasive cochlear implantation. The authors define minimally invasive cochlear implantation as a round window insertion of flexible Nucleus CI422, Nucleus CI522, MedEl Flex...

Carotid paragangliomas and their management

Paragangliomas in the head and neck are most frequently associated with the carotid artery, classically at its bifurcation and splaying the internal and external vessels. Despite their commonality at this site, large studies of these rare tumours are still lacking...

CAD/CAM assisted mandibular reconstruction or freestyle?

The gold standard for the reconstruction of the mandible is a free bone flap and the fibula is commonly used. The fibula is a straight bone and presents considerations and difficulties in the formation of a U-shaped neo-mandible. Computer aided...

Augmented reality – a quick overview of potential technology

Is that the optic nerve? Where is the carotid? Both questions you would prefer to know the answer to upfront. This article discusses if augmented reality can help us with surgical navigation around the skull base. Although endoscopic skull base...

Efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery for facial nerve schwannoma

This international multicentre study reviewed the results of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in 63 patients with facial nerve schwannoma over three decades. The facial nerve schwannoma were distinguished from vestibular schwannoma based on intraoperative findings or typical temporal or extra temporal...

Percutaneous tracheostomy in anticoagulated patients

This Belgian study looked at the risks and complications of bedside percutaneous tracheostomy in patients who received anticoagulant therapy. The 231 tracheostomies included in the study were performed over an eight-year period by two otolaryngologists using bronchoscopic guidance. The mean...

Coblation for lingual haemangiomas

Haemangiomas are benign vascular tumours characterised histologically by a marked proliferation of blood vessels. They can be either congenital or acquired, and can affect the tongue, both within the oral cavity and the oropharynx. A variety of interventions exist for...

Sphenopalatine ganglion block in endoscopic sinus surgery reduces intra and post-operative morbidity

The authors present results of a meta-analysis to investigate the role of sphenopalatine ganglion block (SPGB) in reducing postoperative pain in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). An electronic database search (Pubmed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, Embase, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled...