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Human papillomavirus rate was lower than reported rates in Western populations. Possible explanations include differences in social and cultural behaviours.

2 Therapeutic.

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to review all cases of neuroendocrine tumors of the ear, nose and throat in a tertiary care center, as well as the data published in the literature. The study presents all the cases of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in the Hotel Dieu De France Hospital (Beirut, Lebanon) between January 2004 and January 2014. The data reported in the English and French literature is also reviewed with regard to the typical clinical presentation and management of these tumors. Three cases of NETs presented to the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery during the study period. One case was of an atypical carcinoid (AC) tumor of the larynx, one case was of a typical carcinoid tumor in the middle ear and the third case was, to the best of our knowledge, the first reported case of an AC tumor of the nasopharynx. Overall, NETs are rare in the head and neck. The clinical presentation can mimic any other tumor in the same localization in the absence of a carcinoid syndrome. Management of these tumors remains controversial, but a complete excision of the tumor is crucial, followed by possible adjuvant treatment.

ObjectiveTo study the impact of a clinical care pathway and computerised order set on short-term post-operative outcomes for patients undergoing head and neck free tissue transfer.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, patients who underwent head and neck free tissue transfer by a single reconstructive surgeon between January 2007 and July 2009 were assigned to one of two cohorts based on the timing of their surgery: pre- or post-clinical care pathway implementation. Measured outcomes included peri-operative complications and mortality, length of hospital stay and costs, unplanned reoperations, and readmissions within 30 days of discharge.ResultsThe pre-clinical care pathway cohort included 81 patients and the post-clinical care pathway cohort comprised 46. Implementation of the clinical care pathway was associated with decreased variability in length of hospital stay (median (interquartile range) = 8 (6, 11) vs 7 (6, 9) days). The post-clinical care pathway cohort also had a significantly lower unplanned reoperation rate (15.2 vs 35.8 per cent, p = 0.01).ConclusionA clinical care pathway is a successful means of standardising and improving complex patient care. In this study, care pathway implementation in head and neck free tissue transfer patients improved efficiency and the quality of patient care.

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Benign lymphoepithelial cysts (LECs) are rare lesions that can be found in the lateral neck or in the parotid glands. A 52-year-old woman presented to our clinic with a slowly growing mass of the left malar region. MRI was obtained showing a cystic lesion lying between the mandibular ramus medially, the masseter muscle laterally and the parotid gland posteriorly. The lesion was surgically removed. Complete resection of the cystic lesion was done with preservation of the facial nerve. Histopathology study confirmed the diagnosis of lymphoepithelial cyst. No recurrence was found at 6 months follow up. To our knowledge, it is the first reported case of an intra-masseteric lymphoepithelial cyst. Surgical removal of deep facial lesions can be very delicate and tedious especially when preservation of facial nerve is a priority.

Objective Standard techniques for primary dural repair following lateral skull base surgery are both technically challenging and time consuming without the potential for primary dural repair. Inadequate closure may result in postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak infectious sequalae. Traditional methods of dural repair rely on secondary obliteration of the CSF fistula. We hypothesized that the use of nonpenetrating titanium microclips may serve as a useful adjunct in primary dural repair or the establishment of an immobile repair layer following lateral skull base surgery. Methods Here, we report a novel technique for primary dural repair using nonpenetrating titanium microclips as an adjunct to standard techniques in a series of six patients with lateral skull base pathologies. Results A total of six consecutive lateral skull base tumor patients with titanium microclip dural reconstruction were included in our case series. Lateral skull base pathologies represented in this group included two jugular foramen schwannomas, one vestibular schwannoma, one petroclival meningioma, one glomus jugulare paraganglioma, and one jugular foramen chordoid meningioma. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of microclips in repairing dural defects following lateral skull base surgery. Surgical outcomes for this small case series suggest that dural repair of the later skull base with nonpenetrating titanium microclips is a useful adjunct in dural repair following lateral skull base surgery.