The main point in managing suspected impaction of esophageal foreign bodies is to decide whether the patient needs an esophageal endoscopy. Decision-making is based on clinical history, physical examination, and radiographic studies. We review 100 cases of adults having esophagoscopy for removal of esophageal foreign bodies. Fish bones were the most frequently responsible foreign body and the cervical esophagus was the most frequent level of impaction. Decision-making based on clinical history and patient-referred symptoms revealed a positive esophagoscopy in 72% of the suspected cases. Radiographic studies gave falsely positive and falsely negative information in 30% of the cases. Rigid esophagoscopy was used successfully for foreign body removal in 99% of the cases. Average hospital stay was 3.2 days. No complications associated with the use of a rigid esophagoscope were found.
Nasal septal perforations are anatomical defects of the nasal septum, causing dynamic alterations in nasal physiology which may lead to variable symptoms and otolaryngological referral.Repair of nasal septal perforations continues to remain a difficult surgical problem, and nowadays there is no definitive solution for their successful surgical closure.Thirty patients with small- or medium-sized anterior nasal septal perforations were treated with a simple technique of backwards extraction-reposition of the quadrangular cartilage. Prior nasal septal surgery and repeated cautery were the most common cause of perforation. After a minimum follow-up of two years the success rate for relief of symptoms and closure of the perforation was 87 per cent.This technique showed very good results in small-sized and selected cases with medium-sized perforations, but the mucosal dissection employed is not suitable for medium to large perforations.
Between January 1980 and December 1989, 110 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the supraglottis were treated with supraglottic laryngectomy and neck dissection. The stage distribution was stage I 23%, II 34%, III 15%, and IV 28%. Adjuvant radiotherapy (5,000 to 6,500 cGy) was given to all pN+cases. All patients were followed until death or for a minimum of 36 months, with an average of 65 months. Decannulation was achieved in 96% of the cases, with only 1 patient undergoing total laryngectomy because of aspiration. The average hospital stay was 22 days. Arytenoid edema was a frequent cause of delayed decannulation in patients undergoing radiotherapy. The overall 3-year survival was 78%, with 10 patients dying of unrelated causes. Local control was 94.6% and regional control was 83.6%. No significant difference was found in survival according to T stage, but survival rate was significantly influenced by N stage.
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