Imad Abu El-Naaj

Clinical and radiographic features of eosinophilic granuloma in the jaws: review of 41 lesions treated by surgery and low-dose radiotherapy.

Eosinophilic granuloma within the jaws may radiographically mimic other benign odontogenic cysts and tumors, and different protocols have been suggested in the literature for treating eosinophilic granuloma of the jaws. Forty-one lesions of eosinophilic granuloma, diagnosed in 25 patients, were reviewed retrospectively, and data were collected regarding age, gender, ethnic origin, location, symptoms, clinical appearance, radiographic features, treatment, and recurrence. The lesions were found in youngsters (18.1 +/- 4.7 years of age), mostly in the posterior parts of the mandible, and the most common presenting symptom was pain (92%), often accompanied by swelling. Approximately one half of the lesions were radiographically well defined without ossification. All patients were treated by enucleation (with or without peripheral ostectomy) and radiotherapy; 7.3% lesions recurred during follow-up (9.3 +/- 4.6 years). In addition, the different treatments suggested in the literature for eosinophilic granuloma of the jaws were reviewed.

Indications for Elective Tracheostomy in Reconstructive Surgery in Patients With Oral Cancer.

Background: Oral cancer surgery carries a high risk of upper airway obstruction; yet optimal airway management approach remains controversial. Aim of Study: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of tracheostomy in oncological patients undergoing oral cancer surgery with intra oral flap reconstruction. Methods: The study cohort included 75 patients with oral cancer, who underwent major intraoral resections and reconstruction with vascularized flaps. Results: Thirty-six percent of the patients received elective tracheostomy (27 patients). Mean hospital stay of the patients with tracheostomy was 28.4u200a±u200a12.5 days compared with 9.7u200a±u200a2.1 days in the nontracheostomy patients. A scoring system rendered from this study suggests that patients with a total scoring at or above 8 should be considered for elective tracheostomy. Conclusions: With appropriate postoperative monitoring, selected patients can be managed without routine elective tracheostomy, yet, patients with comorbidities, mostly elderly patients, which undergo surgical resection and reconstruction in high-risk areas that can result in a bulky flap that pose danger to the postoperative airway, should receive elective tracheostomy.

Acute normovolemic hemodilution in patients undergoing head and neck surgery: a prospective randomized trial

Abstract nBackground: Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) is a technique used during anesthesia for major operations, usually to reduce homologous blood transfusion. We studied ANH in large head and neck operations,