Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology and core-needle biopsy (US-FNAC/CNB) for the diagnosis of laryngo-hypopharyngeal masses. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center prospective case series. From January 2018 to June 2019, we initially enrolled 40 patients with highly suspicious laryngo-hypopharyngeal masses on laryngoscopic examinations. Of these, 28 patients with the mass involving or abutting the pre-epiglottic, paraglottic, pyriform sinus, and/or subglottic regions were finally included. These patients underwent US examinations with/without subsequent US-FNAC/CNB under local anesthesia for evaluation of the laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass. Results: Of the 28 patients who underwent US examinations, a laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass was identified in 26 patients (92.9%). US-FNAC/CNB was performed successfully in 25 of these patients (96.2%), while the procedure failed to target the mass in 1 patient (3.8%). The performance of US caused minor subclinical hematoma in 2 patients (7.7%), but no major complications occurred. US-FNAC/CNB yielded conclusive results in 24 (96.0%) out of the 25 patients with a successful procedure, including 23 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 1 patient with a benign mass. In one patient with atypical cells in US-FNAC, additional direct laryngoscopic biopsy (DLB) was required to confirm SCC. Among the 26 patients who received US-FNAC/CNB, the time from first visit to pathological diagnosis was 7.8 days. For 24 patients finally diagnosed with SCC, the time from first visit to the initiation of treatment was 25.2 days. The mean costs associated with US-FNAC/CNB was $272 under the Korean National Health Insurance Service System. Conclusion US-FNAC/CNB for a laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass is technically feasible in selected patients, providing good diagnostic performance. This technique could be used as a first-line diagnostic modality by adopting appropriate indications to avoid general anesthesia and DLB-related complications.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to compare the results of V-shaped and modified facelift incisions for parotidectomy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Ninety parotidectomy patients who underwent V-shaped and modified facelift incisions from 2014 to 2018 were enrolled in this study. Patient characteristics, tumor profiles, surgical outcomes, postoperative complications, and cosmetic results were assessed for the V-shaped (n=20) and modified facelift (n=70) incision groups. RESULTS: The tumor size was significantly larger in the modified facelift incision group than in the V-shaped incision group (2.6 cm vs. 1.9 cm, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding other baseline tumor characteristics, operating time, and postoperative complications. Although the results of Vancouver Scar Scale was similar in both groups, the V-shaped incision group showed higher subjective scar satisfaction scores than the modified facelift incision group (9.3 vs. 8.6, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the V-shaped incision is feasible and can provide better subjective scar satisfaction in selected parotidectomy patients without increased complications.
Cicatrix ; Humans ; Methods ; Parotid Neoplasms ; Postoperative Complications ; Rhytidoplasty*

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology and core-needle biopsy (US-FNAC/CNB) for the diagnosis of laryngo-hypopharyngeal masses. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center prospective case series. From January 2018 to June 2019, we initially enrolled 40 patients with highly suspicious laryngo-hypopharyngeal masses on laryngoscopic examinations. Of these, 28 patients with the mass involving or abutting the pre-epiglottic, paraglottic, pyriform sinus, and/or subglottic regions were finally included. These patients underwent US examinations with/without subsequent US-FNAC/CNB under local anesthesia for evaluation of the laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass. Results: Of the 28 patients who underwent US examinations, a laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass was identified in 26 patients (92.9%). US-FNAC/CNB was performed successfully in 25 of these patients (96.2%), while the procedure failed to target the mass in 1 patient (3.8%). The performance of US caused minor subclinical hematoma in 2 patients (7.7%), but no major complications occurred. US-FNAC/CNB yielded conclusive results in 24 (96.0%) out of the 25 patients with a successful procedure, including 23 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 1 patient with a benign mass. In one patient with atypical cells in US-FNAC, additional direct laryngoscopic biopsy (DLB) was required to confirm SCC. Among the 26 patients who received US-FNAC/CNB, the time from first visit to pathological diagnosis was 7.8 days. For 24 patients finally diagnosed with SCC, the time from first visit to the initiation of treatment was 25.2 days. The mean costs associated with US-FNAC/CNB was $272 under the Korean National Health Insurance Service System. Conclusion US-FNAC/CNB for a laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass is technically feasible in selected patients, providing good diagnostic performance. This technique could be used as a first-line diagnostic modality by adopting appropriate indications to avoid general anesthesia and DLB-related complications.

Background and Objectives: The incidence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) continues to increase worldwide. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of recurrence after hemithyroidectomy in patients with PTMC. We aimed to evaluate the characteristics and risk factors of recurrence after hemithyroidectomy in patients with PTMC.Subjects and Method We included 527 patients with PTMC who underwent hemithyroidectomy between 2009 and 2017. Results: At a mean follow-up of 76.4 months after hemithyroidectomy, recurrence occurred in 4.2% (22/527) of the patients. The times of recurrence were <12, 12-24, 24-36, 36-48, 48-60, and >60 months after initial surgery in 1 (4.5%), 6 (27.3%), 5 (22.7%), 4 (18.2%), 4 (18.2%), and 2 (9.1%) patient(s), respectively. The most common recurrence site was the contralateral remaining thyroid lobe. In univariate analyses, only multifocality was demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of recurrence [hazard ratio (HR), 2.834; confidence interval (CI), 1.044-7.693; p=0.041). In multivariate analyses, multifocality (HR, 2.982; CI, 1.091-8.155; p=0.033) and central lymph node metastasis (HR, 9.649; CI, 1.238-75.217; p=0.030) were demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of recurrence. Conclusion The follow-up after hemithyroidectomy for PTMC should focus on the postoperative 1–5-year period with meticulous inspection of the remaining thyroid lobe, particularly in patients with multifocality or central lymph node metastasis.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore whether common genetic variants that confer the risk of schizophrenia have similar effects between Korean and European ancestries using the polygenic risk score (PRS) analysis. Methods: Study subjects included 713 Korean patients with schizophrenia and 497 healthy controls. The Korea Biobank array was used for genotyping. Summary statistics of the most recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the European population were used as baseline data to calculate PRS. Logistic regression was conducted to determine the association between calculated PRS of European patients with schizophrenia and clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia in the Korean population. Results: Schizophrenia PRS was significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia than in healthy controls. The PRS at the pvalue threshold of 0.5 best explained the variance of schizophrenia (R2=0.028, p=4.4×10-6). The association was significant after adjusting for age and sex (odds ratio=1.34, 95% confidence interval=1.19-1.51, p=1.1×10−6). The pattern of the association remained similar across different p-value thresholds (0.01-1). Conclusion Schizophrenia PRS calculated using the European GWAS data showed a significant association with the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia in the Korean population. Results suggest overlapping genetic risk variants between the two populations.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the results of hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFX) for early glottic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-five patients with cT1-2N0M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the glottis who had undergone HFX, performed using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT, n = 66) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT, n = 19) were analyzed. For all patients, radiotherapy was administered at 60.75 Gy in 27 fractions. Forty-three patients received a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) of 2.3–2.5 Gy per tumor fraction. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 29.9 months (range, 5.5 to 76.5 months). All patients achieved complete remission at a median of 50 days after the end of radiotherapy (range, 14 to 206 days). The 5-year rates for locoregional recurrence-free survival was 88.1%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 86.2%. T2 stage was a prognostic factor for locoregional recurrence-free survival after radiotherapy (p = 0.002). SIB for the tumor did not affect disease control and survival (p = 0.191 and p = 0.387, respectively). No patients experienced acute or chronic toxicities of ≥grade 3. IMRT significantly decreased the dose administered to the carotid artery as opposed to 3D CRT (V₃₅, p < 0.001; V₅₀, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with HFX achieved acceptable locoregional disease control rates and overall survival rates compared with previous HFX studies. A fraction size of 2.25 Gy provided good disease control regardless of SIB administration.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Carotid Arteries ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glottis ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound-guided ethanol ablation (US-EA) performed by a head and neck surgeon in benign cystic thyroid nodules. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: This preliminary study enrolled five patients who underwent US-EA by a single head and neck surgeon for benign cystic thyroid nodules, which had been previously aspirated but recurred. Procedure time, success of targeting, volume reduction rate, satisfaction scores of the procedure, and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: The initial mean volume of cystic nodules was 8.3 mL (2.0-18.9). After US-EA, it decreased to 1.2 mL (0.4-3.5 mL) with the mean volume reduction rate of 85.5% (56.2-88.5%). The mean procedure time of surgeon-performed US-EA was 5.6 min (range, 3.7-7.3 min). The procedure was successfully carried out in all patients, with the mean satisfaction score of 7.6 (6-9). There were no major complications but transient burning sensation was reported in one patient. CONCLUSION: US-EA can be performed by head and neck surgeons safely with favorable therapeutic results. This may improve surgeon's treatment performance of benign cystic thyroid nodules and help achieve streamlined patient care without referring patients to other department.
Burns ; Ethanol* ; Head ; Humans ; Neck ; Patient Care ; Sensation ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule* ; Ultrasonography

Although neurilemmomas can arise from all types of cranial nerves except the optic and olfactory nerves, a hypoglossal neurilemmoma is extremely rare. Furthermore, since this neurilemmoma usually develops in the intracranial portion of the hypoglossal nerve, a hypoglossal neurilemmoma in the submandibular region is unfamiliar even to head and neck surgeons. However, the preoperative diagnosis of hypoglossal neurilemmoma in the submandibular region is very important because of the possibility of sacrificing the hypoglossal nerve during surgery under the incorrect impression of a salivary gland tumor. Therefore, we report a case of hypoglossal nerve neurilemmoma occurring in the submandibular area with a review of the literature focusing on preoperative differential diagnosis.
Cranial Nerves ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Head ; Hypoglossal Nerve ; Neck ; Neurilemmoma* ; Olfactory Nerve ; Salivary Glands ; Submandibular Gland

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of a posterior-based buccinator myomucosal flap (the Bozola flap) for the reconstruction of oral cavity defects after tongue cancer resection. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Fifteen patients who underwent from 2014 to 2016 reconstruction of the oral cavity with a Bozola flap after surgical management of tongue cancer were enrolled in the study. Patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, and complications associated with the Bozola flap were evaluated. RESULTS: The flap was successfully harvested and transferred in all patients. The mean flap harvesting time was 25.3 min. The donor site was closed primarily in 14 patients, and a buccal fat pad flap was used in one patient. Although partial necrosis of the flap occurred in two patients, no other major complications were noted. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that the Bozola flap is a good option for reconstruction of moderate sized oral cavity defects in tongue cancer patients.
Adipose Tissue ; Humans ; Methods ; Mouth Mucosa ; Mouth* ; Necrosis ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Tissue Donors ; Tongue Neoplasms* ; Tongue*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fourth branchial cleft cyst is a rare congenital anomaly which cause a recurrent cervical abscess. Complete excision of fourth branchial cleft cyst is difficult because of a complicated fistula tract. In addition to attempting chemocauterization with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to avoid surgical complications, authors performed an electrocauterization to close internal opening of pyriform sinus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed ten patients of fourth branchial cleft cyst underwent TCA chemocauterization and electrocauterization simultaneously. Clinical characteristics including patient informations, medical records, treatment results were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Interval time until diagnosed with fourth branchial cleft cyst was variable from several days to decades. Five patients had a history of incision and drainage. Mean follow up period was 36.1 months and all patients were treated with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: TCA chemocauterization with electrocauterization can be a effective choice to reduce recurrence rate and ensure safety of patients of fourth branchial cleft cyst.
Abscess ; Branchial Region ; Branchioma ; Drainage ; Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Pyriform Sinus ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Trichloroacetic Acid