Fatma Tülin Kayhan

Transoral robotic cordectomy for early glottic carcinoma.

Objectives We assessed the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transoral cordectomy performed for early glottic cancer with the da Vinci Surgical System. Methods Subjects with early cancer of the vocal cords who were treated with transoral robot-assisted cordectomy were included for study. Data regarding the ability to perform robot-assisted resection, volume of blood loss, robotic operating time, pathological margin status, postoperative extubation, complications, length of hospitalization, duration until start of oral nutrition, and need for a tracheotomy were evaluated. Results Ten men with T1 glottic carcinoma underwent successful transoral robotic cordectomy with negative margins. The mean total robotic surgery time was 21.6 ± 6.75 minutes (range, 10 to 31 minutes). In all cases, the total blood loss was less than 20 mL. One subject needed a short-term tracheotomy and a nasogastric tube. The other 9 subjects started oral nutrition 6 to 24 hours after operation. The mean duration of hospitalization was 4.1 ± 2.23 days. Conclusions Transoral robotic cordectomy with the da Vinci Surgical System was found to be feasible, relatively safe, and effective. The lower morbidity rate was an advantage of this method. Transoral robotic surgery provides better exposure, visualization, and access than does transoral laser microsurgery. Cordectomy with transoral robotic surgery should be an alternative to external-approach cordectomy and transoral laser microsurgery.

Transoral robotic approach for schwannoma of the larynx.

We present a rare case of schwannoma of the supraglottic larynx in a 30-year-old woman with a 5-year history of dysphonia. Excision of the mass was performed by transoral robotic surgery (TORS) without complication using the robotic da Vinci Surgical System, 0-degree three-dimensional endoscope, 5-mm microinstruments compatible with the da Vinci robot, and an FK retractor. Transoral robotic surgery rendered good exposure that allowed complete tumor resection. An external approach and tracheotomy were not necessary in this case. We found that TORS was practicable, efficient, and nonhazardous for the resection of a supraglottic schwannoma. We propose TORS for the treatment of large benign and selected malignant laryngeal tumors.

Transoral surgery for an infant thyroglossal duct cyst

A 2-month-old female infant with respiratory distress, cyanosis and swallowing difficulties following birth was referred to our hospital by the pediatric clinic. Flexible fiber optic laryngoscopic examination of the patient revealed a red-purple smooth-surfaced mass inside the tongue base and vallecula. No additional features were identified by otorhinolaryngological examination. A 2-cm cystic mass located at the tongue base was identified by neck computed tomography (CT) imaging. The cystic mass was marsupialized transorally with the assistance of the da Vinci robotic surgery system (TORS) and histopathologically diagnosed as a thyroglossal duct cyst. Surgery was completed with TORS without complications and prolonged intubation was extubated carefully. No respiratory distress or other complications were observed. All symptoms were completely resolved with surgery and the patient was discharged on the third postoperative day. The patient is still undergoing follow-up and no recurrence has been observed up to the eighth post-operative month.

Transoral robotic supraglottic partial laryngectomy.

Objective Transoral robotic supraglottic laryngectomy is a new surgical way to perform endolaryngeal resection of supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma. The aim of this report was to present our initial experience about transoral robotic supraglottic laryngectomy for early supraglottic cancer. Methods Subjects with early squamous cell carcinoma (T1–T2) of supraglottic region who managed using transoral robotic surgery in a tertiary referral center were included in the study. The technique of robot-assisted resection, intraoperative blood loss, mean robotic operating time, pathologic margin status, postoperative extubation, need for a tracheotomy, and length of hospitalization, complications, duration of oral nutrition, and neck dissection and radiotherapy needs were evaluated. Results Thirteen subjects (12 men, 1 woman) with T1–T2 supraglottic carcinoma were successfully operated on with transoral robotic surgery. In all subjects, negative margins were obtained. The mean total robotic surgery time was 31.6 (SD, 16.2) minutes (range, 20–80 minutes). Mean total blood loss was less than 40 mL. Subjects started oral nutrition with a mean of 10.8 (SD, 8.9) days (range, 4–30 days) postoperatively. The mean hospitalization was 15.4 (SD, 10.4) days (range, 7–42 days). Conclusions and Relevance Transoral robotic supraglottic laryngectomy with the da Vinci robotic system can be regarded as a feasible, safe, and effective technique. Although short-term results seem discouraging, long-term results are needed to evaluate the oncologic safety.

Surgical outcomes of primary and revision endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy.

Objective: In the current study, whereas the results of endoscopic primary and revision endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomies (END-DCR) were evaluated, the success rates in patients who did or did not undergo nasal surgery were also compared. Methods: A retrospective medical record review of 70 patients (with a total of 72 affected cases) who were admitted to our clinic with a primary complaint of epiphora between January 2002 and July 2009 was performed. Patients who required additional nasal procedures were also included in the analysis. A successful DCR was defined as relief of symptoms on testing with irrigation at the last follow-up visit. Results: The success rates were 82.1% (23/28 DCRs) in the primary END-DCR group and 84.1% (37/44 DCRs) in the revision END-DCR group. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding overall surgical success rates (P = 0.829). The need for additional nasal surgery was significantly higher in the revision cases (52.3%) than the primary cases (28.6%; P = 0.048). No significant difference regarding success rates existed between the patients who required an additional septoplasty or ancillary sinus surgery and the patients who did not have nasal pathology and underwent END-DCR alone (P = 0.456). The mean follow-up period was 11 months in the revision END-DCR group and 8 months in the primary END-DCR group. Conclusions: Endoscopic DCR should be considered as the treatment of choice in cases with intranasal pathologies. Endoscopic DCR is a safe and effective procedure in revision cases, as well as in primary cases.

The use of maxillary sinus dimensions in gender determination: a thin-slice multidetector computed tomography assisted morphometric study.

AbstractGender determination is an important step in identification. For gender determination, anthropometric evaluation is one of the main forensic evaluations. In the present study, morphometric analysis of maxillary sinuses was performed to determine gender. For morphometric analysis, coronal and axial paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) scan with 1-mm slice thickness was used. For this study, 140 subjects (70 women and 70 men) were enrolled (age ranged between 18 and 63). The size of each subject’s maxillary sinuses was measured in anteroposterior, transverse, cephalocaudal, and volume directions. In each measurement, the size of the maxillary sinus is significantly small in female gender (P < 0.001). When discrimination analysis was performed, the accuracy rate was detected as 80% for women and 74.3% for men with an overall rate of 77.15%. With the use of 1-mm slice thickness CT, morphometric analysis of maxillary sinuses will be helpful for gender determination.

Comparison of temporalis fascia muscle and full-thickness cartilage grafts in type 1 pediatric tympanoplasties

INTRODUCTION Various graft materials have been used to close tympanic membrane perforations. In the literature, there are few studies in pediatric populations comparing different graft materials. To our knowledge, there is no reported study that measured the thickness of the tragal cartilage in pediatric tympanoplasties. The tragal cartilage is not of uniform thickness in every patient. OBJECTIVE To compare anatomical and functional outcomes of temporalis fascia muscle and full-thickness tragal cartilage in type 1 pediatric tympanoplasties. METHODS In total, 78 patients (38 males, 40 females; average age 10.02±1.98 years; range, 7-18 years) who underwent type 1 tympanoplasties in our clinic were included. Demographics, anatomical, and functional outcomes were collected. Temporalis fascia muscle and tragal cartilage were used as graft materials. Tragal cartilage was used without thinning, and the thickness of tragal cartilage was measured using a micrometer. Anatomical and functional outcomes of cartilage and fascia were compared. Audiometric results comparing the cartilage and fascia groups were conducted at 6 months, and we continued to follow the patients to 1 year after surgery. An intact graft and an air-bone gap≤20dB were regarded as a surgical success. Results with a p-value<0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS The graft success rate was 92.1% for the cartilage group compared with 65.0% for the temporal fascia group. In the fascia group, the preoperative air-bone gap was 33.68±11.44 dB and postoperative air-bone gap was 24.25±12.68dB. In the cartilage group, the preoperative air-bone gap was 35.68±12.94dB and postoperative air-bone gap was 26.11±12.87dB. The anatomical success rate in the cartilage group was significantly better than that for the fascia group (p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in functional outcomes between the fascia and cartilage groups (p>0.05). The average thickness of tragal cartilage in the pediatric population was 0.693±0.094mm in males and 0.687±0.058 mm in females. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the anatomical success rate for a cartilage tympanoplasty was higher than for a fascia tympanoplasty. Functional results with cartilage were not different than with fascia, even though we did not thin the tragal cartilage. However, further studies should focus on the interaction between the thickness of the tragal cartilage and the tympanoplasty success rate.

Nasal septal hematoma and abscess in children.

ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to evaluate the demographic factors, trauma type, treatment, and long-term results in patients with nasal septal hematoma (NSH) and nasal septal abscess (NSA). MethodsBetween the years 2006 and 2010, subjects who received a diagnosis of NSA and NSH were included for the study. Demographic data, the surgical findings, and long term follow-up results were recorded. ResultsTwenty-nine subjects were identified. Eleven subjects had a diagnosis of NSA, whereas 19 subjects were identified as having NSH. Eighteen subjects (62.1%) were male, whereas the remaining 11 subjects (38.9%) were female. Mean age of the subjects was 7.79 ± 3.99 years. The etiologies were fall in 26 subjects (89.6%) and blow in 3 subjects (10.4%). Four subjects were previously examined by a physician. In 9 subjects (31.1%), radiologic and clinical evidence of nasal fracture exists. Eighteen (72%) of 29 subjects experienced sequelae. No significant difference exists for clinical properties, demographic data, etiology, and so on, except mean duration; P > 0.05. Mean duration was significantly high in the NSA group than in the NSH group (8.40 ± 8.46 days vs 3.58 ± 3.64 days, P = 0.025). ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that both NSH and NSA have similar properties for demographic data, etiology, and sequelae.

Rhinologic evaluation in patients with primary headache.

Objectives: In subjects with primary headaches, rhinologic pathologic condition may be associated with treatment refractoriness. In some cases, surgical correction of intranasal pathologic condition may decrease medication use. We aimed to evaluate the benefits of a rhinologic perspective in primary headache subjects by using neurologic management. Methods: Subjects with primary headache were examined by a neurologist and otolaryngologist. Initially, neurologic assessment was made, and medication was started. Migraine symptoms and pain severity were recorded using the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale and a 0 to 10 visual analog scale (VAS). Subjects pain severity of tension type headache was evaluated by VAS. Direct otorhinolaryngologic history of all primary headache subjects was taken, and they all underwent physical examination, rigid nasal endoscopy, sinus computed tomography, and mucosal contact point test. All examination and radiologic findings were noted. Subjects were separated into groups after 1-month medical neurologic management. Results: One hundred nine subjects were enrolled. Ninety-nine subjects completed follow-up. Seventy-eight percent of the subjects were women. The mean age was 33.6 years (range, 18-63 y). Twenty-six subjects had no significant intranasal pathologic condition (group 1). Twenty subjects had an intranasal pathologic condition but responded to the neurologic treatment (group 2). Fifty-three subjects had an intranasal pathologic condition, and the neurologic treatment failed for these 53 subjects. Surgical intervention was planned for these 53 subjects (group 3). Thirty-eight subjects accepted the operation (group 3a), and 15 subjects refused the surgical intervention (group 3b). All subjects Migraine Disability Assessment Scale and VAS scores were compared. A total of 73 subjects had rhinologic abnormalities. Groups 1 and 2 benefited from the neurologic treatment, but headache severity of group 3a reduced after rhinologic surgery. Group 3b who rejected surgical intervention did not respond to the neurologic treatment. Conclusions: This study describes a series of subjects presenting with various primary headaches who also have underlying rhinologic abnormalities. Surgical treatment of the underlying rhinologic pathologic abnormalities had a beneficial effect on headache.

Comparison of drug-induced sleep endoscopy and Müller's maneuver in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea using the VOTE classification system

INTRODUCTION Knowledge of the site of obstruction and the pattern of airway collapse is essential for determining correct surgical and medical management of patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). To this end, several diagnostic tests and procedures have been developed. OBJECTIVE To determine whether drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) or Müllers maneuver (MM) would be more successful at identifying the site of obstruction and the pattern of upper airway collapse in patients with OSAS. METHODS The study included 63 patients (52 male and 11 female) who were diagnosed with OSAS at our clinic. Ages ranged from 30 to 66 years old and the average age was 48.5 years. All patients underwent DISE and MM and the results of these examinations were characterized according to the region/degree of obstruction as well as the VOTE classification. The results of each test were analyzed per upper airway level and compared using statistical analysis (Cohens kappa statistic test). RESULTS There was statistically significant concordance between the results from DISE and MM for procedures involving the anteroposterior (73%), lateral (92.1%), and concentric (74.6%) configuration of the velum. Results from the lateral part of the oropharynx were also in concordance between the tests (58.7%). Results from the lateral configuration of the epiglottis were in concordance between the tests (87.3%). There was no statistically significant concordance between the two examinations for procedures involving the anteroposterior of the tongue (23.8%) and epiglottis (42.9%). CONCLUSION We suggest that DISE has several advantages including safety, ease of use, and reliability, which outweigh MM in terms of the ability to diagnose sites of obstruction and the pattern of upper airway collapse. Also, MM can provide some knowledge of the pattern of pharyngeal collapse. Furthermore, we also recommend using the VOTE classification in combination with DISE.