D. A. Tandon

Delayed Optic Nerve Decompression for Indirect Optic Nerve Injury

Objective To test the efficacy of delayed optic nerve decompression in traumatic optic nerve injury.

Giant cell tumour of the temporosphenoidal region

A case of giant cell tumour of the temporo-sphenoidal region and superior part of infratemporal fossa is presented along with a brief review of the literature. The tumour mass was removed by curettage using a Weber-Fergusson incision with transection of the zygoma. There was no recurrence at three-year follow up.

Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: (A nine-year experience)

In a nine-year period 50 nasopharyngeal angiofibromas, of whom 13 had recurrent tumour, were treated surgically at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. A new staging system according to the regions involved was used; 31 patients in whom the tumour was limited to the nasopharynx (Stage I) and those with superior spread into the ethmoid or sphenoid sinuses (Stage IIA) had their tumours removed by a transpalatal route, alone or in combination with other approaches. Tumours with lateral extensions into the pterygopalatine or infratemporal fossae or the cheek (Stage IIB), and those with simultaneous superior and lateral spread (Stage III) underwent a transmaxillary excision (19 cases). In two of the three cases with intracranial extension (Stage IV), the tumour was removed successfully from below. There was no mortality. The usefulness of the transmaxillary approach, especially in recurrent cases, is emphasized. No adjuvant modalities were employed in this series and blood loss was acceptable.

Carcinoma of the soft palate

During a 10 year period 30 patients with carcinoma of the soft palate were treated. There were 22 cases in stages I and II. A curative dose of irradiation was used in 25 cases, four of whom required surgical salvage. Another five cases were treated by a combined modality of surgery and postoperative radiation. Seven cases had nodal metastases. A mean two-year disease-free survival of 83 per cent was obtained. The probability of five-year disease free survival was 65 per cent.

Laryngeal preservation by treatment with induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy protocol for stage III & IV carcinoma larynx--results of a pilot study.

Total laryngectomy for advanced carcinoma of the larynx is effective but functionally disabling. In an effort at laryngeal preservation, 33 patients of stage III/IV carcinoma larynx were treated between 1987 and 1991 with induction chemotherapy followed by definitive radiation. Two chemotherapy protocols were administered. Group I patients received one to three cycles of cisplatin 100 mg/m2 (day 1), bleomycin 15 U/m2 (day 1), and 5-fluorouracil 1000 mg/m2/day (day 2 to 5) at three weekly intervals. This was then followed by radiotherapy. Group II received one to six weekly injections of single agent methotrexate 50 mg/m2 with or without leucocovorin rescue followed by radiotherapy. Any recurrence was salvaged by surgery. Midway through the study, Group II protocol was discontinued as the initial results were not comparable with Group I or standard treatment. The Group I protocol, however, yielded an initial locoregional control rate of 83.3 per cent With the addition of surgical salvage the locoregional control rate was 94.4 per cent and the control rate with laryngeal preservation was 88.8 per cent. The Kaplan-Meier probability of two years and five years disease-free survival was 81.9 per cent and 61.4 per cent respectively. For disease-free survival with laryngeal preservation the corresponding figures for two years and five years were 58.3 per cent and 41.7 per cent. The control group of 51 patients treated with radical surgery followed by radiotherapy yielded survival figures at two years and five years of 64.3 per cent and 57.2 per cent. The difference in the survival of Group I and the control group was not statistically significant (p value = 0.280). These initial results indicate that for stage III and for surgically resectable stage IV laryngeal carcinomas, a protocol of induction combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin, bleomycin and 5-fluorouracil followed by radiotherapy and combined with surgical salvage whenever required, can lead to comparable cure rates. In addition, a large proportion of patients are spared the morbidity of a total laryngectomy.

Papillary carcinoma in a thyroglossal cyst: report of a case and review of literature

A 29-years old male presenting with a midline neck swelling four centimetres in diameter of one years duration was diagnosed to have a thyroglossal cyst. He underwent a Sistrunk’s operation. Histological examination of the specimen revealed a papillary thyroid carcinoma limited to the cyst wall. The thyroid scan was normal indicating no further need for surgery. The patient has been on suppressive therapy with thyroxin for one year and is currently disease-free. A review of literature is also presented.

Leiomyosarcoma of the base of tongue

A 22 year old male presenting with change of voice and dysphagia was found to have an exophytic pedunculated growth arising from the base of the tongue. A per oral biopsy revealed it to be a leiomyosarcoma. Wide surgical excision by an anterior pharyngotomy was done and the patient administered radiotherapy post- operatively. At five years of follow-up he was disease free. This is the first such documented case in literature.

Extranotochordal chordoma presenting as multiple neck masses: report of a case

Chordomas are rare tumours which arise from notochordal remnants. A primary cervical chordoma of extranotochordal origin, sparing osseous structures, was excised by a bilateral neck dissection. The patient was disease-free two and a half years later.

Rhinitis caseosa, nasal cholesteatoma and allergic fungal sinusitis.

The recently described Syndrome of Allergic Fungal Sinusitis (AFS) has many similarities with the previously described entity of rhinitis Caseosa (synonym-Nasal Cholesteatoma). 28 patients treated over a 6 year period with a diagnosis of rhinitis caseosa/nasal cholesieatoma have been retrospectively reviewed with regard to their clinical and radiological features, operative findings and microbiologic and histopathologual features.All cases presented with nasal obstruction and nasal polyposis. CT scanning indicated intracranil extension and intra-orbital extension m 9 cases each. Surgical debridetnent with establishment of sinus drainage led to the universal initial relief of symptoms in all cases. 26 of 28 cases have remained free of recurrence on prolonged follow-up (minimum follow-up one year).Despite these cases demonstrating clinical, radiologital, morphological and histological similarities with the Syndrome of Allergic Fungal Sinustitis, in only 2 cases was a fungal aetiology confirmed by history. The clinical syndrome of “Rhinitis Caseosa” is described and its relationship with the Allergic Fungal Sinusitis (AFS) syndrome and the “AFS-hke” Syndrome explored.

Clinical, radiological and surgical correlation in cancers of the paranasal sinuses

Clinical, radiological and CT findings for each adjacent subsite were tabulated and compared in 25 consecutive cases undergoing surgery for malignant lesions of the maxillo-ethmoid complex. It was found that tumour extensions into nose, palate, cheek and orbit were identified correctly in a high proportion of cases clinically and radiologically. Posterior extensions into infratemporal or pterygopalatine fossae were evident clinically in only one out of 5 cases. Clinical assessment failed to detect orbital invasion in 3 out of 7 cases, while CT missed orbital periosteal involvement in one case. CT overestimated spheno-ethmoidal extensions of tumour in 44% (8/18) cases.