Journal Reviews
Pedicle calcification – an uncommon problem
This paper from Germany describes an uncommon phenomenon of pedicle calcification in three cases. In patients from two centres that had fibula free flap reconstruction from January 2010 to January 2016, 68 cases had pedicle calcification and three cases were...
Peripheral nerve reconstruction using cell-enhanced acellular nerve grafts
Autologous nerve grafts are the current gold standard for peripheral nerve reconstruction. This systematic review analyses the role of cell-enhanced acellular nerve (ANA) grafts on the regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries. Several studies have been published to examine alternatives to...
Perioperative management of the head and neck cancer patient
The perioperative care of patients with head and neck cancer is complex and requires significant preoperative planning and patient education. The issues include analgesia, antibiotics, stoma and wound care, general and chest physiotherapy, thromboprophylaxis and nutrition. This article provides a...
Investigation of the role of KPNA2 biomarker in oral SCC invasiveness
This edition of Head and Neck has a strong focus on studies using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to elucidate potential roles of various cell-signalling molecules in both HNSCC and thyroid cancer. The ‘cellular-protein heavy’ title of this article may be off-putting to...
Using evidence and international consensus to guide treatment of thyroid nodules
The authors of this practical review paper highlight a growing issue within thyroid surgery, where high-quality ultrasound has increased the detection of subclinical nodules: what do we do with the patient presenting with an ‘incidental’ thyroid nodule? This has both...
Risk of second primary cancer among patients with head and neck cancers
Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have an elevated risk of developing a second primary malignant neoplasm (SPMN). These are of increasing concern because the number of survivors of HNSCC has been growing owing to early detection...
When to treat a fractured mandible?
This is a prospective study from Brisbane of 215 patients with a total of 359 fractures of the mandible. Nine outcome variables were analysed with a further 19 included to adjust for potential confounding. Treatment delay was found not to...
Delirium post-op
This is a retrospective study from Japan analysing 102 patients who underwent oral cancer resection and free flap reconstruction. Postoperative delirium occurred in a third of these patients. An increased risk was identified in those with high preoperative albumin, postoperative...
Modified subciliary approach to the orbital floor
Fractures involving the lateral midface and orbital floor are routinely treated by maxillofacial surgeons. The surgical management requires access to the facial skeleton to reposition and free the soft tissues. There are three main approaches to the orbital floor: infraorbital;...
Is a chest x-ray necessary in making urgent referrals for suspected head and neck cancer?
The article presents an audit on urgent referrals for suspected head and neck cancer in 2144 patients. Only 8.6% of cases proved positive for head and neck cancer. The Scottish Referral Guidelines were adhered only in 55.1% of cases. Interestingly,...
Current management of facial fractures in the preadolescent
This article reviews the trends in management of preadolescent facial fractures – a challenging population due to the need to consider growth, dynamic changes in dentition, and evolving fracture patterns. In summary, conservative management is preferred in all fractures in...
Facial Landmark localisation by curvature maps and profile analysis
The detection of three dimensional (3D) landmarks by scanning surfaces is a well established method in medical science. Anatomical landmarks are visually or palpably detectable and act as reference points for clinical measurements. When measuring these landmarks with a sliding...
