Charalambos E. Skoulakis

Bronchoscopy for foreign body removal in children. A review and analysis of 210 cases

OBJECTIVE A foreign body aspiration in the tracheobronchial tree is a dangerous and common medical emergency in childhood, with serious and potentially lethal consequences. It must be suspected in children with a suggestive history, even though the clinical symptoms or radiographic findings are not pathognomonic for foreign body aspiration. METHODS In this study 210 pediatric cases, with a suggestive history of foreign body aspiration undergoing bronchoscopy in the last 8 years in the department, were reviewed. In all cases bronchoscopy was performed under general anesthesia using a Storz ventilation bronchoscope with distal cold light illumination. RESULTS In 130 patients a foreign body was discovered, in 17 cases pus was aspirated and in 63 cases there were no findings. Seventy-eight (60%) foreign bodies were found in the right main bronchus, 43 (33.1%) in left main bronchus, seven (5.4%) in both bronchi and two (1.5%) were found in the subglottic area. The incidence of bronchoscopy during the last 8 years was 28 procedures per 100000 children population per year in the island of Crete. CONCLUSION More attention should be given to the need for a careful history and the use of radiographs as supplemental information to make the decision to perform a bronchoscopy. The parents, also, should pay attention not to allow children dry fruits and small toys, as well as, teaching their children to avoid any physical or emotional activity while having a full mouth.

Multiparametric comparison of cold knife tonsillectomy, radiofrequency excision and thermal welding tonsillectomy in children

OBJECTIVE This is a prospective study evaluating certain intraoperative and postoperative parameters, comparing the relatively new technique of thermal welding tonsillectomy with cold knife tonsillectomy, and radiofrequency excision in pediatric population. METHODS Ninety children aged from 5 through 13 years were enrolled a randomized prospective trial comparing cold knife tonsillectomy, radiofrequency excision, and thermal welding tonsillectomy. Indications included recurrent acute tonsillitis and/or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. All techniques were compared by means of length of surgery time, blood loss, postoperative bleeding and postoperative pain. RESULTS Sixty-eight patients underwent tonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea, whereas 22 children underwent tonsillectomy due to recurrent acute tonsillitis. Median values of all variables tested, length of surgery time, blood loss, postoperative bleeding and postoperative pain, were found to differ significantly among the three surgical techniques (P<0.001). Particularly, a statistically significant higher median duration (P<0.001) and intraoperative blood loss (P<0.001), as well as, a statistically significant lower median pain score in each day tested (P<0.001) of the cold knife group, compared to each one of the other two groups, were found. Tissue welding and radiofrequency groups did not differ significantly in any aspect tested. CONCLUSIONS Both thermal welding and radiofrequency excision techniques have shown comparable results regarding intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hemorrhage, and pain. Compared with cold knife tonsillectomy, welding and radiofrequency excision techniques were associated with less intraoperative blood loss and duration, though cold knife tonsillectomy seems to prevail over the two techniques in terms of the postoperative pain.

Angiosarcoma of the maxillary sinus.

Angiosarcomas are rapidly growing malignant neoplasms arising from the vascular endothelial cells. Most common sites are the extremities and the retroperitoneal space, with only four per cent of angiosarcomas arising in the head and neck area, whilst the paranasal sinuses are one of the rarest locations. We report the case of a maxillary sinus angiosarcoma in a 72-year-old male patient. The first biopsy was inconclusive, whereas the second revealed an angiosarcoma. Medial maxillectomy was performed with subsequent external irradiation.

Swiftlase inferior turbinoplasty.

The hypertrophied inferior turbinates are responsible for nasal obstruction in patients with chronic rhinitis. Several methods have been applied to solve this problem. Recently, laser methods have produced good results. We present the management of 387 patients with hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates mucosa, using CO2 laser in combination with the Swiftlase apparatus. CO2 laser energy delivered through the Swiftlase apparatus provides a char-free ablation of a superficial tissue layer. Swiftlase is easily installed onto the existing CO2 laser units and provides a high-power density. The 1-year postoperative follow-up revealed good results in 261 (81%) of 321 patients, thus establishing CO2 laser in combination with the Swiftlase apparatus as a promising new approach for the management of inferior turbinate hypertrophy. CO2 laser energy delivered through the Swiftlase apparatus offers a treatment modality capable of achieving excellent results in hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates with minimal morbidity.

Tonsilloplasty in children with obstructive symptoms.

OBJECTIVE Obstructive symptoms, caused by tonsillar hypertrophy, have been attracting increasing interest, and tonsillectomy is often performed as a result of this indication. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of the different surgical techniques, tonsilloplasty and tonsillectomy, on clinical symptoms in children with obstructive symptoms owing to tonsillar hypertrophy. METHODS Thirty children, 3 to 12 years old, were included; 15 of them underwent tonsilloplasty and 15 tonsillectomy. Tonsilloplasty was performed with a knife or scissors, and the trauma was closed with two or three sutures. The tonsillar capsule and about 15 to 20% of tonsillar tissue remain as a barrier to prevent exposure of the pharyngeal muscles. All children were operated on under the same anesthesia and followed the same postoperative scheme for analgesia. RESULTS All of the children were cured of their breathing obstruction. In the tonsilloplasty group, the tonsillar remnants healed completely within 1 week. The postoperative pain recorded was significantly less than in the tonsillectomy group. No major side effects occurred. The mean time used for the surgery was the same, and no postoperative bleeding was seen in both groups. The intraoperative bleeding observed was small in both groups, although significantly smaller for the tonsilloplasty group. CONCLUSIONS Tonsilloplasty is a less traumatic and much less painful surgical method, and children recover more quickly. The results with respect to breathing obstruction are almost the same for both methods at the 1-year follow-up. It seems to be the most suitable method for children with tonsillar hypertrophy and obstructive symptoms.

Mucocele of the maxillary antrum in an eight-year-old boy

Mucocele is a rare clinical entity in children. It is considered to be associated with fibrocystic disease. The capacity of mucocele to erode through the bone walls along with the increased density of its content, make the diagnosis difficult when mucocele has to be differentiated from benign or malignant tumors. In this paper, we present the case of an 8-year-old boy with mucocele of the left maxillary antrum. Both the differential diagnosis and the surgical treatment are described.

Meningitis as a complication of tonsillectomy

Adenotonsillar surgery remains among the most commonly-performed pediatric surgical procedures. The complication rate of tonsillectomy is generally considered to be in a range of 1-5%. Bacterial meningitis following adenotonsillectomy is a rarely reported complication. Bacterial meningitis is a potentially fatal acute infectious disease caused by a variety of micro-organisms. Current case fatality rates associated with this entity can be as low as 2% in infants and children and as high as 30% in neonates. The successful management of meningitis depends on early clinical suspicion and diagnosis, with prompt medical treatment using high-dose, broad-spectrum antibiotics that adequately cross the blood-brain barrier. We present a case of meningitis complicating a tonsillectomy procedure, in a 7-year-old girl. The diagnosis and treatment of this rare complication is illustrated, and the possible etiology is discussed.

Age related changes in ocular motor testing in healthy subjects.

The aim of the present study was the investigation of age influenced changes in ocular motility testing in healthy subjects. Two hundred and fifty subjects between 18 and 70 years old were enrolled in a prospective study. Study population was divided in 5 groups of 50 subjects each (group A: 18-30 years old, group B: 31-40 years old, group C: 41-50 years old, group D: 51-60 years old and group E: 61-70 years old). Ocular motility was recorded by video-oculography and age related normative data were obtained with respect to: a) gain and slow phase velocity of smooth pursuit tracking, b) latency, velocity and accuracy of saccade eye movements and c) gain and slow phase velocity of optokinetic eye movements. The influence of age on all parameters was examined by one-way ANOVA. A statistically significant difference was found in all parameters analyzed for smooth pursuit test, saccade eye movements and optokinetic eye movements in between groups. In conclusion, aging influences the majority of the parameters in ocular motility testing, carried out by means of video-oculography. Elderly healthy subjects showed a deterioration of performance in all parameters of the eye tracking tested. Age must be taken into account during interpretation of the eye tracking tests, especially in patients with central nervous system lesions.

Idiopathic acquired dacryocystocele treated with endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy

A 64-year-old woman presented with a medial canthal mass in her left eye, which was accompanied only by mild epiphora. There was no history of dacryocystitis, bloody tears, midfacial trauma or surgery. Physical examination showed a non-inflammatory, subcutaneous, immobile mass below the level of the medial canthal tendon. Lacrimal irrigation demonstrated blockage at the nasolacrimal duct. A CT revealed a non-enhancing, low density, cystic lesion in the inferomedial aspect of the left orbit without bony erosion, which was compatible with an idiopathic acquired dacryocystocele. The patient underwent endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and silicone intubation. Epiphora resolved immediately after surgery. Two years after surgery, the patient has had no recurrence of either the epiphora or the orbital. Idiopathic acquired dacryocystocele associated only with epiphora without accompanying dacryocystitis although rare should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acquired non-inflammatory medial canthal masses. Endonasal endoscopic DCR represents a safe and effective treatment.

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in head and neck cancer: A systematic review.

Background:Multimodality therapy constitutes the standard treatment of advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer. Since locoregional recurrence comprises a major obstacle in attaining cure, the role of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) as an add-on in improving survival and local control of the disease has been investigated. IORT allows delivery of a single tumoricidal dose of radiation to areas of potential residual microscopic disease while minimizing doses to normal tissues. Advantages of IORT include the conformal delivery of a large dose of radiation in an exposed and precisely defined tumor bed, minimizing the risk of a geographic miss creating the potential for subsequent dose reduction of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). This strategy allows for shortening overall treatment time and dose escalation. The aim of this review is to summarize recent published work on the use of IORT as an adjuvant modality to treat common head and neck cancer in the primary or recurrent setting. Methods:We searched the Medline, Scopus, Ovid, Cochrane, Embase, and ISI Web of Science databases for articles published from 1980 up to March 2016. Results:Based on relevant publications it appears that including IORT in the multimodal treatment may contribute to improved local control. However, the benefit in overall survival is not so clear. Conclusion:IORT seems to be a safe, promising adjunct in the management of head and neck cancer and yet further well organized clinical trials are required to determine its role more precisely.