Journal Reviews
Avoiding the sweaty cheek
Frey’s syndrome is a common (10-40%) and important complication following parotid surgery. Gustatory sweating during oral stimulation can be embarrassing as it is accompanied by flushing and a sensation of heat. This is as a direct result of regenerated parasympathetic...
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...
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...
Which da Vinci surgical system? Novel flexible, single-port versus current multiport, rigid-arm robotic surgical system
The da Vinci robotic surgical system has transformed how oropharyngeal head and neck surgery can be delivered. The existing da Vinci Si model has challenges: the dimensions of this are larger than would be ideal for head and neck surgery...
Allergy testing in children with beta-lactam hypersensitivity
The beta-lactam antibiotic is commonly used in treating ENT infections in childhood. However, its use can be limited by reported hypersensitivity or allergy to the antibiotic. This is largely attributed to the previous development of skin rashes while being on...
A mouth-rinse test that can screen for oral cancer?
This paper presents a promising screening tool for oral cancer – using a simple chlorhexidine mouth-rinse. The hypermethylated ZNF582 and PAX1 markers were chosen based on previous studies using oral scraping methods of collection and have been shown to be...
The newest robot from da Vinci – what can it offer for hypopharyngeal cancer surgery?
The standard existing da Vinci surgical robot (the Si model) has been much maligned for not being optimally designed for transoral access and endoscopic manoeuvrability in head and neck surgery. This preclinical work from Holsinger and his team looks at...
Advances in surgical innovation for head and neck cancer
This article reviews current advances in surgical treatment of head and neck cancers such as sentinel node biopsy, stereolithic modelling, transoral robotic surgery and intra-operative imaging of tumour margins. Sentinel node biopsy has been found to be especially useful for...
What is the evidence for contralateral tonsillectomy in TORS for known unilateral tonsil malignancy?
The concept of field changes by carcinogens within the upper aerodigestive tract is well established with reported rates of synchronous tumours of 4% and second primaries of 36%. The tonsil in particular has the highest rate of synchronous tumours, postulated...
The role of imaging in differentiating rare temporal bone neoplasms
This paper provides a useful tool to assist in determining the diagnosis of benign neoplasms of the temporal bone using readily available imaging modalities. Specifically, this group have looked at chondrosarcoma, an expansile hypermetabolic mass lesion usually found in the...
Epistaxis and anticoagulants
The French Society of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck surgery issued some recommendations on the management of epistaxis in patients receiving anticoagulants, anti-platelet aggregants and anti-vitamin K drugs. This was a national multidisciplinary evidence-based concensus document. The group recommends review of...
First signs of late nodal metastases
This is a retrospective review of 65 patients who had late metastases during follow-up after initial curative treatment. They analyse the detection methods of palpation, ultrasound, CT and subjective symptoms. Palpation detected the nodes in 31 patients, ultrasound in 17,...
