We demonstrate that TORS is a useful approach to identify and treat the primary site in patients with HNSCC who present with an unknown primary site.

Microvascular free tissue transfer is a reliable and safe method of reconstruction of head and neck defects in patients over 80 years of age. Patients should be counseled about the potential risks of increased incidence of medical complications, ICU length of stay, and rate of perioperative death when recommended to undergo free tissue transfer reconstruction.

IMPORTANCE Treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) presents unique challenges and can be associated with significant morbidity. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has emerged as a treatment modality for OPSCC, but data comparing outcomes between patients treated with TORS-based therapy and nonsurgical therapy are limited. OBJECTIVE To compare survival and gastrostomy prevalence between patients with OPSCC treated with TORS-based therapy and those treated with nonsurgical therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective matched-cohort study identified patients with OPSCC treated at the University of Washington and University of Minnesota tertiary care medical centers from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2013. Each patient treated with TORS-based therapy was matched by stage with as many as 3 patients treated with nonsurgical therapy. Final follow-up was completed on April 1, 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Disease-free survival, overall survival, and gastrostomy tube prevalence. RESULTS One hundred twenty-seven patients met the study criteria (113 men [89.0%];14 women [11.0%]; median [interquartile range] age, 57 [52–63] years); 39 patients who underwent TORS were matched to 88 patients who underwent nonsurgical therapy. Compared with the nonsurgical group, more patients had p16-positive tumors in the TORS group (30 of 31 [96.8%] vs 30 of 37 [81.1%] among patients with known p16 status). No statistically significant difference in survival between treatment groups was found in multivariable analysis (disease-free survival hazard ratio, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.04–1.36; P = .10). Patients who received TORS-based therapy had lower gastrostomy tube prevalence after treatment (13 of 39 [33.3%] vs 74 of 88 [84.1%]) for a univariable relative risk of 0.43 (95% CI, 0.27–0.67; P < .001) and a multivariable relative risk of 0.43 (95% CI, 0.27–0.68; P < .001). Gastrostomy prevalence decreased by time after treatment for both groups (TORS group:3 of 34 [9%] at 3 months to 1 of 33 [3%] at 12 months; nonsurgical group: 37 of 82 [45%] at3 months to 7 of 66 [11%] at 12 months). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Patients undergoing TORS for OPSCC have statistically indistinguishable survival but lower gastrostomy prevalence compared with patients undergoing nonsurgical therapy for stage-matched OPSCC. TORS offers promise for improved swallowing function in patients with OPSCC.

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IMPORTANCE Same-day Mohs reconstructive surgery is not always possible owing to patient factors, scheduling, and complexity of defect, but there is hesitancy in delaying closure of such defects. OBJECTIVE To describe the frequency of and predictors of complications in patients undergoing delayed facial reconstruction after Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS).

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BackgroundChronic postsurgical pain and opioid use is a problem among patients undergoing many types of surgical procedures. A multidisciplinary approach to perioperative pain management known as a transitional pain service (TPS) may lower these risks.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center to compare patients undergoing elective primary or revision total knee, hip, or shoulder replacement or rotator cuff repair in the year before (2017) and after (2018) implementation of a TPS. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients taking opioids 90 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes include new chronic opioid use (COU) after surgery as well as the proportion of previous chronic opioid users who stopped or decreased opioid use after surgery.ResultsAt 90 days after surgery, patients enrolled in TPS were significantly less likely to be taking opioids (13.4% TPS vs 27.3% pre-TPS; p=0.002). This relationship remained statistically significant in a multivariable logistic regression analysis, where the TPS group had 69% lower odds of postoperative COU compared with the preintervention group (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.66; p=0.03). Opioid-naive patients enrolled in TPS were less likely to have new COU after surgery (0.7% TPS vs 8.4% pre-TPS; p=0.004). Further, patients enrolled in TPS with existing COU prior to surgery were more likely to reduce or completely stop opioid use after surgery (67.5% TPS vs 45.3% pre-TPS; p=0.037) as compared with pre-TPS.ConclusionsThese data suggest that a TPS is an effective strategy for preventing new COU and reducing overall opioid use following orthopedic joint procedures in a Veterans Affairs hospital.

IMPORTANCE Despite common goals of frontal sinus fracture treatment (restoring forehead contour and creating a safe sinus), there remains significant variability in evaluation and treatment.OBJECTIVE To describe our experience with a minimally disruptive treatment protocol for the treatment of frontal sinus fractures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Analysis of prospectively collected data from 2010 through 2015 at a level 1 trauma center. All patients with frontal sinus fractures treated with our protocol from January 2010 to December 2015. Patients with poor follow-up and/or incomplete medical records were excluded from analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESPresence of an aerated frontal sinus and aesthetically acceptable forehead contour. Secondary outcome measures were complications related to frontal sinus fractures.RESULTS A total of 39 patients were treated under our minimally disruptive protocol, and 25 patients were included in the study; 18 (72%) were male and 7 (28%) were female. Their ages ranged from 6 to 62 years. After review, 22 patients had both clinical and radiographic follow-up. No patients underwent immediate frontal sinus repair. Five of 22 patients underwent surgery for indications other than their frontal sinus fracture: 1 of 5 patients underwent immediate surgical repair due to bilateral LeFort fractures, and 4 of 5 underwent delayed surgery due to nasal polyps (1 patient), scar revision (1 patient), and concomitant LeFort fractures (2 patients). Two of 22 patients (9%) underwent frontal sinus repair after outpatient surveillance due to persistent cerebrospinal fluid leak (1 patient) and orbital roof fracture (1 patient). The remaining 20 patients were treated nonoperatively, and 19 of 20 (95%) had spontaneous improvement in opacification and/or contour deformity. Twelve of 20 patients (60%) had improvement or resolution in both. One patient had ongoing partial opacification and deformity at the 3-month follow-up but was asymptomatic and had bony contour that was aesthetically acceptable to the patient. There were no complications. The median of all follow-up was 3 months. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEFrontal sinus fractures treated nonoperatively had a high rate of spontaneous ventilation and bony autoreduction with aesthetically acceptable frontal bone remodeling. There were no complications in the nonoperative group. The initial results of this study support further study of the safety and efficacy of a minimally disruptive protocol for frontal sinus fractures.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4.