W. T. Farrington

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis : the Manchester experience, 1974-1992

A series of 59 patients of all ages with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) treated over an 18-year period is presented. A number of these patients were initially diagnosed in childhood but required treatment throughout adult life. The frequency of laser treatment was not related to either disease duration or age at onset. In 28 patients, the HPV type was identified, showing that HPV type 11 was more common in children and ran a more protracted clinical course. The requirement for tracheostomy in this series was small, whereas the incidence of malignant change in adult patients was significant.

Olfactory neural tumours—the role of external beam radiotherapy

Olfactory neuroblastoma is an uncommon tumour arising in the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses. We report the management of nine cases treated with external beam radiotherapy subsequent to surgery, either attempted definitive removal or biopsy only. Recent refinements in pathological evaluation of these tumours are discussed. Seven cases were deemed classical olfactory neuroblastoma whilst two were classified as neuroendocrine carcinoma. The clinical features, radiotherapy technique and variable natural history are presented. Seven of eight patients treated radically were controlled locally, with a minimum follow-up of two years. Three patients developed cervical lymph node disease and three patients died of systemic metastatic disease. Suggestions are made as to which patients should have en-bloc resection rather than definitive radiotherapy.

Viscoaugmentation as a treatment for leakage around the Provox 2 voice rehabilitation system.

Tracheo-oesophageal puncture for voice restoration is a well-established technique post-laryngectomy. A number of complications can occur with the creation of a tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF) and in the subsequent management of the patient with an indwelling voice rehabilitation system. This article is the first to report the use of Hylaform, a colourless viscoelastic gel, to treat an intractable case of leakage around a Provox 2 voice prosthesis. The procedure which required no anaesthesia resulted in no further leak around the valve to the present day, now more than four weeks post-viscoaugmentation.

The diagnostic value of positron emission tomography (PET) with radiolabelled fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in head and neck cancer.

Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning has recently been introduced into clinical practice but its usefulness in the management of head and neck cancer is not well defined. The aim of this prospective preliminary study was to examine the clinical value of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)--PET in patients with head and neck cancer treated by radiotherapy with surgery in reserve by (i) relating quantitative uptake of isotope to tumour type and histological grade and (ii) comparing the imaging findings of PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in post-radiotherapy assessment of tumour response. Twenty-one patients had pre-treatment PET and MRI scans and these were repeated four and eight months after treatment if there was no clinical relapse. Pre-treatment uptake of FDG using tumour to cerebellar ratio parameters was significantly related to the histological grade of squamous cancer (p = 0.04) but not to tumour type. Discordance of post-treatment PET/MRI findings in one case indicates a possible role for PET in the early detection of tumour recurrence. Other potential uses of PET scanning in the management of head and neck cancer are discussed.

Vomiting in pregnancy resulting in oesophageal perforation in a 15-year-old.

Spontaneous perforation of the oesophagus is extremely rare in children, as is perforation due to vomiting in pregnancy. We report the case of a 15-year-old in whom vomiting in early pregnancy resulted in oesophageal perforation with subcutaneous emphysema causing marked facial swelling in the absence of other signs. The more common clinical presentation of spontaneous oesophageal rupture (Boerhaaves syndrome) is discussed.

Severe radionecrosis of the temporal bone

Severe radionecrosis of the temporal bone is a potentially lethal condition which still occurs despite improvements in radiotherapy. A series of seven such cases is presented to outline the varied clinical features and management of this disease.

Definitive radiotherapy for 114 cases of T3N0 glottic carcinoma: influence of dose-volume parameters on outcome.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Assuming that the dose-response curve for T3N0M0 glottic carcinoma is steep and that the rate of occult lymph node metastases is low, it should be possible to employ high biological tumour doses to modest target volumes and thereby maximise laryngeal control without compromising final neck control. Within the constraints of a retrospective study we aim to examine this policy with respect to local control, incidence of nodal relapse and late complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and fourteen patients with T3N0M0 glottic carcinoma who received a 3-week schedule of radical radiotherapy between 1986 and 1994 were analysed. The median age was 67 years (range, 34-85 years) and the median follow-up for living patients was 4.8 years (1.9-8.9 years). There were no strict selection criteria for those patients treated with radiotherapy. RESULTS The 5-year overall survival was 54%. The 5-year local control with radiotherapy and the ultimate loco-regional control following salvage laryngectomy were 68 and 80%, respectively. Nine patients (8%) suffered a regional nodal relapse but only three of these (3% overall) occurred in the absence of local failure. Four patients (3.5%) developed serious late complications requiring surgical intervention (three received 55 Gy and one 52.5 Gy). CONCLUSIONS It is possible to employ maximum tolerable doses to specific target volumes and thereby exploit the dose response demonstrated and minimise major late effects. The use of modest target volumes resulted in only 3% of patients requiring surgery that might have been avoided had prophylactic neck irradiation been employed.

Localized tracheopathia osteoplastica of the subglottis

Tracheopathia osteoplastica is a benign dysplasia of the tracheobronchial tree which rarely presents clinical problems especially when localized. We present a case which caused an unexpected difficulty in intubation and was subsequently removed endoscopically using the CO2 laser.

External ear canal cholesteatoma. Case report.

External ear canal cholesteatoma is a rare condition in otologic practice. A case in a 43-year-old woman is presented in which despite the extensive nature of the lesion, minimal symptoms and absence of signs delayed diagnosis. The cause of the lesion and its treatment are discussed.

Extranasopharyngeal juvenile angiofibroma

A rare case of juvenile angiofibroma arising from the base of the skull outside the nasopharynx and extending into the pterygo-maxillary fossa and cheek is discribed. It is possible, by a combined zygomatic and buccal approach, successfully to excise such a tumour.