PURPOSE:To report the results of a series of patients undergoing the endoscopic subperichondrial transseptal (STRAS) approach for pituitary surgery and to evaluate the efficiency and the safety of this approach.METHODS:This is a single-centre retrospective study including all patients undergoing pituitary lesion resection through the STRAS approach from January 2002 to December 2017 by a multidisciplinary surgical team (ENT and neurosurgeon). Demographic data, tumour type, complication rate and pre- and post-operative visual, endocrine and tumour status were retrospectively analysed.RESULTS:119 patients were included in the study, 80 (67%) presenting macroadenoma, 24 (20%) microadenoma (20%) and 6 (5%) giant adenoma. 61 (51%) patients had secreting adenoma and 51 (42%) patient had non-functioning adenoma. The STRAS approach allowed a good visualization of intrasphenoidal and intrasellar anatomical landmarks in all cases and no patient needed turbinate resection. No patient died or had neurological deficit. Endocrine remission or control was achieved in 90.5% of hormone-secreting microadenomas and in 84.2% of hormone-secreting macroadenomas. Gross-total resection was achieved for 39 patients (48.8%) of the 80 macroadenomas. Nasal complication rate was very low, with no septal perforation and two epistaxis (1.7%) medically treated.CONCLUSION:The STRAS approach is an elegant approach to the sphenoid sinus that enables a good exposure of the intrasphenoidal anatomical landmarks with a maximal preservation of the nasal mucosa. This approach allows an intrasellar work with great comfort and safety for the surgeon using a two-hand or a four-hand technique.

Introduction:Sialolithiasis is the most common cause of symptomatic obstructive sialadenitis. Sialendoscopy represent a minimally invasive technique that has evolved significantly in the last 2 decades, with high success rates in managing sialolithiasis and allowing gland preservation. Lithotripsy assisted or not by laser represents the fragmentation of stone or lithiasis within the salivary duct followed immediately by removal of the fragmented pieces. Material and Methods: A systematic review investigating the role of laser-assisted lithotripsy with sialendoscopy (LAS) in the treatment of sialolithiasis was performed.Results:Sixteen papers meet inclusion criteria. The mean maximum diameter of lithiasis was 7.11 mm (min: 2 mm/max: 17 mm; standard deviation [SD]: 2.33; 95% CI = 1.573-4.463). Success rate described ranging from 71% to 100% with a mean of 87.3% (SD: 7.21; 95% CI: 5.326-11.158) and the gland preservation rate was 97%. Considering only “non retrievable–non floating stones” studies that include both parotid and submandibular stones: Eight clinical retrospectives, nonrandomized studies and 1 prospective, nonrandomized study report results from parotid and submandibular gland lithiasis. According to this, the most common gland involved was the submandibular gland (n = 153; 65.1%), in comparison to the parotid gland (n = 82; 34.8%).Conclusion:The current evidence supports LAS as a conservative, efficient, safe, and gland-preserving alternative technique, in experienced hands, for management of mid-size sialolith removal from major salivary glands, when the indication is appropriate.

Background Sinonasal inverted papilloma (SNIP), classically, is a unilateral benign tumor of the nasal lateral wall. Numerous variations have been observed, depending on location, bilateral presentation, or association with nasal polyposis. Objective The aim of this work was to describe atypical presentations of SNIPs with their management specificities and to assess their influence on the recurrence rate in a large case series. Methods A retrospective single center study of 110 patients treated for SNIP. Atypical inverted papillomas were identified according to the following criteria: (1) unusual location (frontal, posterior, anterior), (2) bilateral involvement, and (3) association with nasal polyposis. Surgical management was detailed, and the influence of each atypical group on recurrence was assessed by using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test. Results Distribution of atypical presentations was as follows: frontal sinus localization (10.9%); posterior localization, including sphenoid sinus (9%); nasal anterior localization (3.6%); bilateral involvement (3.6%); and nasal polyposis association (10%). The surgical approach was endoscopic (74.5%), external (5.5%), or combined endoscopic and external (20%). Except for nasal anterior localization, all the groups were associated with a higher recurrence rate, without reaching statistical significance. Conclusion Recurrence rates for these atypical presentations arise from their specific surgical challenges. The choice of the surgical technique is guided by tumor location and extension, and by the surgeon's experience; the main objective is a complete resection. The endoscopic endonasal approach is the most frequent procedure.

Robot-assisted transaxillary thyroid surgery avoids the need for a neck incision. It consists of thyroid lobectomy and isthmectomy for moderately large unilateral benign nodules. The surgical imperatives are the same as for conventional surgery, but with differences in terms of patient positioning, surgical incision, equipment, surgical technique and indications. The purpose of this article is to describe the equipment, patient positioning and surgical technique of exclusive robot-assisted transaxillary total thyroid lobectomy and isthmectomy.

BACKGROUND:Continuing to smoke or to drink after the treatment of an upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer is known to worsen the prognosis. We assessed the feasibility and efficacy of an addiction treatment program integrated into the cancer treatment. METHOD:In four units devoted to UADT tumors, we proposed an addiction treatment to all patients still drinking or smoking at the end of the cancer treatment; the abstinence rate was assessed 6 and 12 months later. RESULTS:One hundred and sixteen patients were included. Among the 73 patients still drinking and/or smoking at the end of the cancer treatment, 46.6% accepted an addiction treatment. In the latter, abstinence rate was increased, 52.2% versus 31.03% ( p = .07) at M12. In patients both drinking and smoking, addiction treatment doubled the rate of abstinence of both products (31% vs. 14%). CONCLUSION:Offering addiction treatment to patients with UADT cancer improves abstinence rate and helps maintain long-term withdrawal.

Le choix des volumes d’irradiation lors du traitement par radiothérapie externe d’un cancer des voies aérodigestives supérieures, notamment celui des volumes prophylactiques pour couvrir le risque d’extension infraclinique, est difficile. Il repose sur la connaissance de l’histoire naturelle de ces tumeurs mais se heurte à la diversité et la complexité de cette région anatomique. La précision dosimétrique et balistique apportée par les techniques modernes d’irradiation a imposé une réflexion stratégique forte pour assurer la pertinence et la reproductibilité des volumes cibles. Concernant la question spécifique du traitement des voies de drainage lymphatique cervical, deux problématiques sont à prendre en compte. Quelles aires ganglionnaires retenir en fonction de la localisation et du stade de la tumeur primitive ? Comment reporter ce choix dans le processus de planification et de délivrance du traitement ? Cette réflexion s’est constamment enrichie au cours de temps aboutissant à la rédaction de plusieurs recommandations internationales pour harmoniser la terminologie des aires ganglionnaires de la sphère ORL et assoir des choix rationnels appuyés sur les données scientifiques les plus récentes. La richesse des informations rend la lecture de ces référentiels parfois complexe mais leur compréhension précise est indispensable à leur application pertinente. Nous proposons une synthèse des recommandations émises pour le choix des volumes ganglionnaires à traiter lors de la prise en charge par radiothérapie externe des carcinomes épidermoïdes de la cavité buccale et du pharyngo-larynx.The selection of target volumes for head and neck cancer radiation therapy, particularly prophylactic volumes that reflect infra-clinic spreads, is a complex process. It is based on the knowledge of the natural history of these tumors and must take into consideration the special challenges due to the diversity and complexity of head and neck anatomy. The dosimetric and ballistic precision provided by modern radiation techniques has required strong strategic deliberation to ensure the relevance and reproducibility of target volumes. Specifically, regarding cervical lymph node volumes, two issues emerged. What lymph node area to select depending on the location and the staging of the primary tumor? How to convey that choice in the process of treatment planning and delivery? This debate has been progressively enriched over time resulting in the publication of several international guidelines to standardize the terminology of head and neck lymph node areas and to lay solid science-based foundations to drive practices. This abundance of information makes these guidelines complex, but their accurate understanding is required for adequate usage. We provide an overview of the main published recommendations for the selection of lymph node target volumes when treating oral cavity and pharyngo-laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma with radiation therapy.

Recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenoma surgery increases the risk of facial nerve injury, and there is also a risk of ulterior recurrence.

Objective To evaluate the lack of accuracy in neck staging with the classical technique (i.e., neck dissection and routine histopathology) with the sentinel node (SN) biopsy in oral and oropharyngeal T1‐T2N0 cancer. Study Design Cross‐sectional study with planned data collection. Setting Tertiary center care. Subjects and Methods In 50 consecutive patients, the pathological stage of sentinel node (pSN) was established after analyzing SN biopsies (n = 148) using serial sectioning and immunohistochemistry. Systematic selective neck dissection was performed. The pN stage was established with routine histopathologic analysis of both the non‐SN (n = 1075) and the 148 SN biopsies. Results The sensitivity and negative predictive value of pSN staging were 100 percent. Conversely, if one considers pSN staging procedure as the reference test for micro‐ and macro‐metastasis diagnosis, the sensitivity of the classical pN staging procedure was 50 percent (9/1; 95% CI 26.9‐73.1) and its negative predictive value was 78 percent (95% CI 61.9‐88.8). Fifteen patients (30%) were upstaged, including nine cases from pN0 to pSN ≥ 1 and six cases from pN1 to pSN2. Two of the pN0‐pSN1 upstaged patients died with relapsed neck disease. Conclusion The SN biopsy technique appeared to be the best staging method in cN0 patients and provided evidence that routinely undiagnosed lymph node invasion may have clinical significance.

Background The tumour grading of primary parotid cancers (PPCs) remains controversial. Methods A 20-year standardised single centre treatment has been assessed retrospectively. The histological review of 155 consecutively treated parotid malignancies identified 96 suitable cases for univariate and multivariate survival analyses. Results Treatment involved total parotidectomy, neck dissection and post-operative radiotherapy in, respectively, 91.7%, 83.3% and 70.4% of cases. The 5-year overall survival, disease-specific and recurrence-free survival rates were 79.4%, 83.5% and 70.8%, respectively. Univariate analysis confirmed the classical prognostic factors, i.e. age > 60 years, male gender, facial palsy, hardness of the tumour, clinical stage, tumour grade, facial nerve invasion and lymph node metastases. Multivariate analysis identified a three-grade classification just after the clinical stage as the most important prognostic factor. Conclusion This study identifies the prognostic significance of intermediate grade tumours.

Head and neck biopsies usually have a low diagnostic value in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). On the basis of 49 biopsies obtained from 21 WG patients at diagnosis from various sites, i.e. nose (29), paranasal sinus (7), oral cavity (4), larynx (4), conjunctiva (3) and external ear (2), we described the suggestive histological features and studied the diagnostic potential of the biopsy size, anaesthesia method (general (GA) or local (LA)), anatomic region of the biopsy, number of sections, and presenting macroscopic manifestations. Associated granulomatous inflammation (scattered giant cells, 28.5% of biopsies; poorly-formed granulomas, 28.5%), necrosis (neutrophilic microabscesses, 16.3%; geographic necrosis, 18.3%), angiitis (leukocytoclastic, 10%; necrotizing, 12%; and granulomatous, 6%) which confirmed the diagnosis were only present in 18.3% of the biopsies (28.5% of the patients). We think it is possible to propose a "WG-compatible" diagnosis when at least one of these histological features is present (24.5% of biopsies, 26% of patients in our study). We found that it was always better to perform biopsies targeted on macroscopic lesions. When there was no lesion, samples from paranasal sinuses obtained under GA had the highest diagnostic value in the head and neck region, whereas 90% of nasal systematic biopsies performed under LA were nonspecific. Moreover, we demonstrated that performing two further sections increased the sensitivity of histological examination by 7%.