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A series of 394 radical neck dissections performed over the 17 year period 1969–1986 is presented. The shortest period of follow-up is two years. Of the major complications reviewed, wound breakdown was associated with T stage, prior radiotherapy and incision used but not with age or N stage. Cervical recurrence was associated with N stage, prior radiotherapy and surgical incision and inversely associated with age. Wound breakdown and recurrence were lowest in parotid primary tumours. Carotid artery rupture occurred in 17 patients (4.3 per cent), was fatal in all cases and was strongly associated with wound breakdown and previous radiotheraphy. The importance of the choice of incision, clearance of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle and carotied artery protection are discussed.

Twenty-seven patients with vocal fold motion impairment underwent detailed pharyngoesophagel manometry with a strain gauge assembly linked to a computer recorder. Nine were known to have lesions of the central vagal trunk or nucleus, 9 had recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy, and the remainder were idiopathic. The site of the lesion was a more important determinant of subjective swallowing performance than the position of the involved cord at laryngoscopy. Patients with central lesions had lower tonic and contraction upper esophageal sphincter (UES) pressures than 25 age-matched controls, suggesting that high cervical branches of the lower cranial nerves are important in UES excitatory innervation. RLN palsy patients showed significantly increased pharyngeal contraction amplitude and reduced pharyngoesophageal wave durations. The results suggest that the dysphagia associated with vocal fold motion impairment is not simply due to the disruption of laryngeal deglutitive kinetics, but to independent effects on pharyngeal function.

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Branchial cysts, sinuses and fistulae are reviewed with special reference to their origin, clinical features, pathology and treatment. The material consists of a survey of over 700 recorded cases, a series of 90 cases studied in retrospect with special reference to the pathology, and a personal experience of 42. It is suggested that a proportion of 'branchial cysts' do not arise from the branchial apparatus, but possibly may do so from epithelial inclusions in lymph nodes. It is accepted that branchial sinuses develop from the branchial apparatus, but there is little proof that such an entity as 'branchial fistula' exists.

A prospective analysis of the incidence of paranasal sinus opacification in 100 patients referred for cranial computerized tomography (CT) for non-sinus related problems is described. The findings were correlated with symptomatic assessment. Twenty-seven per cent of asymptomatic patients had sinus opacification. The study illustrates the importance of careful clinical correlation when interpreting CT scans of the paranasal sinuses.

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