Gilbert Chantrain

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw and its associated risk factors: a Belgian case series.

Bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BROJ) is a serious oral complication of bisphosphonate (BP) treatment involving the exposure of necrotic maxillary or mandibular bone. Our purpose is to describe the clinical presentation of 34 cases of BROJ and to identify potential risk factors.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis for major head and neck surgery in cancer patients.

A total of 113 patients were randomly allocated to receive either ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid (total dose, 20.8 g) or clindamycin (total dose, 2.4 g) plus amikacin (total dose, 1 g) as perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis for major head and neck surgery. The two groups were similar in age, prior antineoplastic treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy) or tracheostomy, and the various types of surgery including radical neck dissection. The wound infection rate was 10% in the group of patients receiving clindamycin plus amikacin and 36% in the group receiving ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid (P less than 0.05). Initiation of systemic antibiotic therapy within 15 days of surgery was necessary for 20 and 45% of these patients, respectively (P less than 0.05). The distribution of microorganisms causing wound infections was comparable in both groups, except for anaerobes, which were isolated predominantly from patients who had received ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid.

Reconstruction of circumferential oro- and hypopharyngeal defects with U-shaped pectoralis major myocutaneous flap

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a U-shaped pectoralis major myocutaneous flap (PMMF) to reconstruct a large circumferential defect involving the oro- and hypopharynx. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective case series. RESULTS: Twelve patients with advanced oro- and hypopharyngeal cancer (stage IV) underwent surgery resulting in a circumferential defect of pharyngoesophageal segment (PES). Those defects were reconstructed using a U-shaped PMMF. Four pharyngocutaneous fistulas were observed postoperatively and healed spontaneously within 3 to 7 weeks. Eight patients were able to resume a regular diet. A voice prosthesis was functional in 5 patients. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study shows that this technique is a simple and effective method with acceptable morbidity rate and satisfactory functional results. We demonstrate that this procedure allows the reconstruction of large defects involving the oro- and hypopharynx in irradiated patients. This technique could be an interesting alternative for surgical teams suffering from the absence of a microsurgical team. EBM rating: C-4

Wide vertical hemipharyngolaryngectomy with immediate glottic and pharyngeal reconstruction using a radial forearm free flap: Preliminary results

We propose a new technique of wide vertical hemipharyngolaryngectomy which combines resection of laterally localized extended pharyngolaryngeal tumors with immediate microsurgical reconstruction using a radial forearm free flap, including the tendon of the palmaris longus. It eliminates the limitations of resections, which are usually performed to avoid closure difficulties of the resulting defect.

Non-traumatic myositis ossificans in the paraspinal muscles

Myositis ossificans circumscripta (MOC) is a benign condition of heterotopic bone formation that remains difficult to distinguish from soft-tissue and bone malignancies. We describe an unusual case of non-traumatic MOC in the cervical paraspinal muscle. The diagnosis could only be established after surgery and histological examination. We present a review of the literature on this subject and discuss some related features (radiological and histological).

Antimicrobial prophylaxis for major head and neck surgery in cancer patients: sulbactam-ampicillin versus clindamycin-amikacin.

A total of 99 patients with head and neck cancer who were to undergo surgery were randomized in a prospective comparative study of sulbactam-ampicillin (1:2 ratio; four doses of 3 g of ampicillin and 1.5 g of sulbactam intravenously [i.v.] every 6 h) versus clindamycin (four doses of 600 mg i.v. every 6 h)-amikacin (two doses of 500 mg i.v. every 12 h) as prophylaxis starting at the induction of anesthesia. The two groups of evaluable patients (43 in the clindamycin-amikacin treatment group and 42 in the sulbactam-ampicillin treatment group) were comparable as far as age (mean, 57 years; range, 21 to 84 years), sex ratio (71 males, 28 females), weight (mean, 66 kg; range, 40 to 69 kg), indication for surgery (first surgery, 48 patients; recurrence, 37 patients), previous anticancer treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy), type of surgery, and stage of cancer. The overall infection rate (wound, bacteremia, and bronchopneumonia) within 20 days after surgery was 20 patients in each group. Wound infections occurred in 14 (33%) sulbactam-ampicillin-treated patients and 9 (21%) clindamycin-amikacin-treated patients (P = 0.19; not significant). The rates of bacteremia were 2 and 4%, respectively. The rates of bronchopneumonia were 14.3 and 23.2%, respectively (P was not significant). Most infections were polymicrobial, but strict anaerobes were recovered only from patients who received sulbactam-ampicillin. Antimicrobial treatment was required within 20 days after surgery for 42% of the sulbactam-ampicillin-treated patients and 44% of the clindamycin-amikacin-treated patients. By comparison with previous studies, we observed a decreased efficacy of antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing surgery because of the increased proportion of patients who were at very high risk for infection (extensive excision and plastic reconstruction in patients with recurrent stage III and IV cancers) and because of the longer duration of surgery.

Chronic Maxillary Rhinosinusitis of Dental Origin: A Systematic Review of 674 Patient Cases

Objectives. The aim of this systematic review is to study the causes of odontogenic chronic maxillary rhinosinusitis (CMRS), the average age of the patients, the distribution by sex, and the teeth involved. Materials and Methods. We performed an EMBASE-, Cochrane-, and PubMed-based review of all of the described cases of odontogenic CMRS from January 1980 to January 2013. Issues of clinical relevance, such as the primary aetiology and the teeth involved, were evaluated for each case. Results. From the 190 identified publications, 23 were selected for a total of 674 patients following inclusion criteria. According to these data, the main cause of odontogenic CMRS is iatrogenic, accounting for 65.7% of the cases. Apical periodontal pathologies (apical granulomas, odontogenic cysts, and apical periodontitis) follow them and account for 25.1% of the cases. The most commonly involved teeth are the first and second molars. Conclusion. Odontogenic CMRS is a common disease that must be suspected whenever a patient undergoing dental treatment presents unilateral maxillary chronic rhinosinusitis.

Esteem 2 middle ear implant: our experience

Introduction: The Esteem is a totally implantable hearing system that uses piezoelectric technology. It is indicated in case of moderate to severe stable sensorineural hearing loss with a minimum discrimination score of 60% and a middle ear which is anatomically and functionally intact. Its two components (sensor and driver) are positioned and fixed in the mastoid cavity and coupled respectively to the incus body and capitulum with cement. Study Design: Retrospective study. Settings: Tertiary referral center. Materials and Methods: Pure-tone average (PTA) gain in the implanted ear was calculated at 1, 2, and 4 KHz, word recognition score (WRS) gain at 50 dB SPL, and average WRS (AWRS) gain at 40, 55, and 70 dB SPL. WRS was also evaluated in silence and noise. All patients were asked to fill in the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit (APHAB) questionnaire pre- and postoperatively as well as an Esteem questionnaire. Results: Thirteen patients received implants between May 2008 and April 2010. Five minor complications occurred (1 temporary partial facial palsy, 1 secondary healing difficulty, and 3 revision surgeries for poor and deteriorating functional results and progressive gain loss after use of a heart defibrillator). Two patients (15%) suffered major complications and their implants had to be removed 4 months postoperatively because of a Staphylococcus aureus wound infection. One patient underwent reimplantation 6 months later. Mean PTA gain was 25 ± 11 dB, mean WRS gain at 50 dB SPL was 64 ± 33%, and mean AWRS gain was 40 ± 20%. WRS in silence and with a signal-noise ratio of 10, 0, and –5 dB was 91 ± 11, 85 ± 14, 71 ± 19, and 64 ± 30%, respectively. The APHAB questionnaire revealed 84% of satisfaction improvement compared to the previous classic hearing aid. Conclusion: The totally implantable hearing device Esteem 2 can offer good functional and satisfaction results. Careful selection of patients is required, however, based on hearing tests, exclusion of middle ear ventilation problems, and CAT-scan middle ear anatomy. Specific surgical training and experience are also needed. The implant is safe and only associated with classic auditory implant complications.

A comparison of survival lifetime of the Provox and the Provox2 voice prosthesis.

The Provox (Atos Medical AB, Hörby, Sweden) voice prosthesis was developed between 1988 and 1990 and has been used at our centre with regular success since 1993. Since 1996, a second generation of Provox (Provox2) has been used, which can be inserted by an anterograde technique. The aim of this study is to compare the survival lifetime of both voice prostheses. The survival time of the two voice prostheses were compared retrospectively in 152 devices placed in 38 patients. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to determine the survival lifetimes and a log rank test was performed to compare the two curves. Clinical factors affecting the lifetime were also analysed with a Kaplan-Meier plot. The median survival lifetime of the Provox and Provox2 were 303 and 144 days respectively. The Kaplan-Meier estimation shows that this difference is statistically significant (p=0.02). It is considered an early failure if it occurs within the first three months. There was a larger number of early failures with the Provox2 than with the Provox (p=0.04). Neither the gender nor the age affected the lifetime of the devices. Radiotherapy seemed to lengthen the lifetime of the first valve. The survival lifetime of the second generation Provox2 valve is shorter than the lifetime of the first generation Provox. This could be due to the difference in elasticity of these valves that could lead to a different level of colonization and invasion of the valves by micro-organisms.

Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma. Individualization of the treatment according to the prognosis of the disease.

A retrospective study of a continuous series of 152 patients is presented: the patients were treated between 1 January 1955 and 31 December 1981 for a papillary or a follicular thyroid carcinoma. The prognostic index, proposed by the EORTC Thyroid Cancer Cooperative Group in 1979, was calculated for each patient. According to the survival curves and recurrences after treatment, the study shows a clear-cut difference in prognosis if the prognostic index is below 50 or is equal to or above 50. This observation supports the proposal of minimal treatment for less aggressive tumors and extensive treatment for the high risk patients. The actual treatment plan is: (1) total lobectomy when the tumor is unilateral and the prognostic index below 50, but total thyroidectomy in the other cases; (2) lymph node surgery only in cases of node involvement. Instead of a radical neck dissection, a more conservative procedure should be performed, removing the lymphatic chains and preserving the sterno-cleidomastoid muscle, the internal jugular vein and the spinal accessory nerve; (3) no postoperative radioiodine for low risk patients with complete removal of the tumor; (4) postoperative thyroid hormone at doses suppressing secretion of TSH for all patients.