Acute supraglottitis is characterized by an inflammation and edema of the supraglottic region and a potential life-threatening condition because of its risk for sudden upper airway compromise. Prompt diagnosis, administration of broad spectrum antibiotics, and airway management is pivotal for reducing serious complications. In the immunocompromised host, microorganisms are more likely to elicit mucosal inflammations, thus clinicians should pay attention to those patients for prompt removal of the causes of immune disruption. Here we report a case of acute adult supraglottitis with neutropenia caused by anti-thyroid drug with a review of the related literatures.

Secretory carcinoma of salivary gland origin is a recently described tumor that harbors a characteristic ETV6-NTRK3 translocation that is identical to secretory carcinoma of the breast. The majority of tumors were located in the parotid gland and other major salivary glands, while the minority occurred in a minor salivary gland. We present a case of a 71-year-old female who was diagnosed with low-grade salivary gland cancer presenting in the soft palate accompanying lymph node metastasis. Peroral wide excision, selective neck dissection, reconstruction with radial forearm free flap was performed. The final pathology report indicated secretory carcinoma of the soft palate. The patient was followed-up without evidence of recurrence for one year. At present, it is difficult to accurately assess prognosis and treatment for the secretory carcinoma of the minor salivary gland origin. Continuous follow-up with various cases is needed further.

Extranodal Natural Killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma mostly affects the nasal cavity and there has been no report of the disease’s occurrence at the base of tongue. Here we report a case of 43-year-old man who presented with a diffuse ulcerative lesion at the base of tongue. Because the patient had oral bleeding, tracheostomy and lingual artery ligation was performed via a transcervical approach to control bleeding and protect the upper airway. We performed a deep biopsy through the lateral pharyngotomy approach, and finally, the patient was diagnosed with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type. We report this rare case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma at the base of tongue with a literature review.

Secretory carcinoma of salivary gland origin is a recently described tumor that harbors a characteristic ETV6-NTRK3 translocation that is identical to secretory carcinoma of the breast. The majority of tumors were located in the parotid gland and other major salivary glands, while the minority occurred in a minor salivary gland. We present a case of a 71-year-old female who was diagnosed with low-grade salivary gland cancer presenting in the soft palate accompanying lymph node metastasis. Peroral wide excision, selective neck dissection, reconstruction with radial forearm free flap was performed. The final pathology report indicated secretory carcinoma of the soft palate. The patient was followed-up without evidence of recurrence for one year. At present, it is difficult to accurately assess prognosis and treatment for the secretory carcinoma of the minor salivary gland origin. Continuous follow-up with various cases is needed further.

Extranodal Natural Killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma mostly affects the nasal cavity and there has been no report of the disease’s occurrence at the base of tongue. Here we report a case of 43-year-old man who presented with a diffuse ulcerative lesion at the base of tongue. Because the patient had oral bleeding, tracheostomy and lingual artery ligation was performed via a transcervical approach to control bleeding and protect the upper airway. We performed a deep biopsy through the lateral pharyngotomy approach, and finally, the patient was diagnosed with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type. We report this rare case of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma at the base of tongue with a literature review.

The soft palate of carcinoma limited to the uvular region is infrequent among oropharyngeal cancers. The oropharynx regulates swallowing and speech through dynamic motions. Failure to reconstruct after surgical resection of the oropharynx structure can lead to permanent velopharyngeal insufficiency. Therefore, suitable reconstruction is important in establishing proper functional outcomes while maintaining oncological safety.
We present a case of a 66-year-old male who was diagnosed with oropharynx cancer limited in the uvula accompanied by lymph node metastasis. After surgical resection, reconstruction was performed with the united arrangement of bilateral palatal mucomuscular flap and superiorly based posterior pharyngeal flap. There was no aspiration or reflux after feeding and epithelialization completely occurred after 1 month postoperatively. We report a successful case that the reconstruction with the local flap described above could preserve proper oropharyngeal function after primary surgery in small-sized oropharyngeal cancer.

Background/Objectives: Extra-nodal extension (ENE) is one of the strongest prognosticators in oral cancers. Here we tried to evaluate clinicopathological factors associated with the presence of ENE.Materials & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical information of 120 patients who diagnosed with oral cancer and received curative surgery at our hospital from Mar 2012 to Apr 2020. We comparatively analyzed clinicopathological factors associated with the presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis and ENE, respectively. Results: Variable factors of primary tumor characteristics such as lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, largest diameter of tumor, depth of invasion and maximum standardized uptake value were significantly associated with the presence of cervical LN metastasis. The largest diameter of tumor was statistically significant also in multivariate analysis for predicting the LN metastasis. Meanwhile, the association between primary tumor characteristics and the presence of ENE were not statistically significant except the primary tumor size. Importantly, factors associated with LN characteristics including the maximum diameter and number of metastatic LNs were significantly associated with ENE. Conclusion In this study, several factors affecting cervical LN metastasis and ENE in oral cancer patients were identified. The ENE seems to be influenced by the status of the metastatic LNs, such as the number of metastatic LNs, rather than the characteristics of the primary tumor itself.

OBJECTIVES: Advancements in medical endoscopy and techniques of rigid bronchoscopy for foreign body removal have enabled higher diagnostic accuracy, reduced morbidity and precise manipulation. However, in pediatric patients, endoscope-combined forceps may be too big to fit into the small sized airway. Here we present our method of endoscope assisted rigid bronchoscopy in pediatric patients and compare the clinical benefits with conventional naked-eye rigid bronchoscopy. METHODS: We used a 2.7 mm, 0degrees straight endoscope and small caliber grasping forceps with 3.0 to 4.5 mm sized rigid bronchoscopy for very young (<3 years of age) patients of foreign body aspiration. As an assistant held the rigid bronchoscope in situ, the operator could manipulate the endoscope and forceps bimanually. With endoscopic guidance, the foreign body retrieval was performed carefully. The clinical advantages were compared between our endoscope-assisted method (n=29) and the conventional bronchoscopy method (n=33) in terms of operation time and recovery (hospital stay). RESULTS: Bimanual endoscope-assisted rigid bronchoscopy method was technically feasible and safe. The operation time was less, compared to the conventional technique and the patients recovered more quickly. In all cases, our method completely removed the foreign body without need of a second bronchoscopy procedure. CONCLUSION: Bimanual endoscope-assisted retrieval of airway foreign body in very young age pediatric patients was superior to the conventional naked-eye method concerning accurate manipulation and safety.
Airway Obstruction ; Bronchoscopes ; Bronchoscopy ; Child, Preschool ; Endoscopes ; Endoscopy ; Foreign Bodies* ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Surgical Instruments

Total laryngectomy remains as an important treatment option in selected patients with laryngopharyngeal cancers, which inevitably sacrifices naturally produced voice. Much effort has been devoted to voice restoration for these laryngectomized patients. Several ways of voice rehabilitation after total laryngectomy have been developed and utilized thus far, including tracheoesophageal shunt speech, esophageal speech, pneumatic speech aid, and electrolarynx. Of these, tracheoesophageal shunt speech appears to be the most effective voice restoration method, while other trials might also be useful in special situations. Nevertheless, each method has its own unique mechanisms of voice production, thus has its advantages and drawbacks in clinical setting. In this review, we discuss the currently available management options for the rehabilitation of laryngectomized voice.
Humans ; Laryngectomy* ; Methods ; Rehabilitation* ; Speech, Esophageal ; Voice*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: High-speed videolaryngoscopy (HSV) is the only technique that captures the true intra-cycle vibratory behavior of the vocal folds by capturing full images of the vocal folds. However, it has problems of no immediate feedback during examination, considerable waiting time for digital kymography (DKG), recording duration limited to a few seconds, and extreme demands for storage space. Herein, we demonstrate a new post-processing method that converts HSV images to two-dimensional digital kymography (2D-DKG) images, which adopts the algorithm of 2D videokymography (2D VKG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: HSV system was used to capture images of vocal folds. HSV images were post-processed in Kay image-process software (KIPS), and conventional DKG images were retrieved. Custom-made post-processing system was used to convert HSV images to 2D-DKG images. The quantitative parameters of the post-processed 2D-DKG images was validated by comparing these parameters with those of the DKG images. RESULTS: Serial HSV images for all phases of vocal fold vibratory movement are included. The images were converted by the scanning method using U-medical image-process software. Similar to conventional DKG, post-processed 2D DKG image from the HSV image can provide quantitative information on vocal fold mucosa vibration, including the various vibratory phases. Differences in amplitude symmetry index, phase symmetry index, open quotient, and close quotient between 2D-DKG and DKG were analyzed. There were no statistical differences between the quantitative parameters of vocal fold vibratory movement in 2D-DKG and DKG. CONCLUSION: The post-processing method of converting HSV images to 2D DKG images could provide clinical information and storage economy.
Kymography ; Methods ; Mucous Membrane ; Vibration ; Vocal Cords ; Voice