Oncocytic tumors of the major salivary glands are rare, accounting for less than 1% of all salivary gland tumors. When they do occur, these neoplasms typically present as solitary nodules that affect only one major salivary gland, usually the parotid. Multiple bilateral multinodular tumors are rare. We report the case of a 53-year-old woman with a case of synchronous multiple bilateral multinodular oncocytomas that arose in a background of bilateral oncocytic nodular hyperplasia in the parotid glands. The patient underwent superficial parotid resections, and at the 4-year follow-up, she exhibited no evidence of recurrence.
The embryologic development of the head and neck is directed by an ensemble of numerous genes. Embryologic malformations of the head and neck are rare. When they do occur, the most common are thyroglossal duct cysts and branchial anomalies. Most malformations are apparent at birth. Complete excision at an early stage is recommended to prevent complications such as infection. We describe an extremely rare case of bilateral branchial tracts in which there was evidence of a genetic etiology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of familial bilateral branchial tracts to be described in the literature.
Osteomas occur throughout the temporal bone and, depending on their location, may cause tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo, and facial nerve paresis. We present a rare case of a 25-year-old woman with a mastoid osteoma enlarging over a 6-month period. Other than a cosmetic deformity of her upper neck, the patient was asymptomatic. After surgical removal of the bony neoplasm, the patient was noted to have a high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. This case study presents clinical, radiologic, intraoperative, pathologic, and audiometric findings of a mastoid osteoma and a review of the literature.
Mucormycosis is characterized by severe infection with rapid progression and a high mortality rate. In immunocompromised hosts, the most common type is the rhinocerebral form of mucormycosis. Invasive mucormycosis affecting only the tongue is extremely rare. We report one such case that occurred in an immunocompromised 4-month-old girl with Down syndrome who had been hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis. The infant had metabolic acidosis secondary to diarrhea. It was suspected that the infection had been contracted through the use of a wooden tongue depressor during oral examination. We present this case report in the hope that it will discourage clinicians from using wooden tongue depressors in vulnerable infants. We also wish to emphasize that mucormycosis should be considered in all patients—regardless of age—who pre-sent with localized bluish-black discolored mucosa of the oral mucosa and/or tongue.
We report 2 cases of pediatric hypopharyngeal perforation that occurred during endoscopy and 1 case of esophageal perforation that developed during nasogastric tube insertion at a tertiary care academic medical center. These cases were identified during a retrospective chart review. All 3 patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics and nasogastric tube feedings, and none experienced further sequelae. Perforations of the hypopharynx and esophagus in children during endoscopy or insertion of endotracheal and nasogastric tubes are not uncommon. Many affected children can be managed conservatively without surgical drainage, depending on the cause and specific location of the perforation and the timing of the diagnosis. We discuss the clinical criteria for various management options, and we offer an algorithm that outlines important clinical considerations in the decision-making process. Our aim in presenting these cases is to increase awareness of the management options for children with hypopharyngeal and esophageal perforations and to demonstrate the effectiveness of nonsurgical management in selected cases.
The diagnosis of low-grade B-cell lymphoma consistent with marginal-zone lymphoma has proven to be challenging when the disease involves the hard palate. The diagnosis is complicated by the nonspecific nature of the presenting symptoms and a difficult-to-differentiate histologic picture. We describe a case of low-grade B-cell lymphoma of the hard palate with a delayed presentation. We also compare the features of this case with the features of the small number of other such cases that have been reported in the literature. Finally, we review the etiology of low-grade B-cell lymphoma, we discuss its radiologic and pathologic features, and we briefly describe the treatment options.
We report a case of diplopia that was exacerbated by chewing in a patient who had sustained facial fractures in a motorcycle crash. The diplopia was corrected surgically 1 year following the accident. To the best of our knowledge, masticatory diplopia as a result of adhesion of the temporalis muscle to the periorbita secondary to facial trauma has not been previously reported.
We evaluated the effectiveness of using a plasma-mediated radiofrequency-based ablation (Coblation) device to perform volumetric tissue reduction of the soft palate as a means of controlling snoring in 23 patients with loud snoring and mild or no sleep apnea. Tissue reduction was achieved by performing a channeling procedure designed to shrink the tissue surrounding the treatment zone. The soft palate was treated at three separate sites, and each channel was completed in approximately 11 seconds. Data regarding the primary outcome—that is, pre- and postoperative subjective assessments of snoring intensity provided by the patients’ bed partners—were available for comparison for 21 of the 23 patients. Of the 21 patients, treatment was deemed successful in 10 (48%). Postoperatively, the overall mean intensity of snoring on a scale of 0 (no snoring) to 10 (terrible snoring) fell by 4 points (p < 0.05). Likewise, the loudness of snoring was also significantly reduced on objective SNAP recordings; the mean intensity fell from 12 to 8 dB (p < 0.05). Of the 10 successfully treated patients, 2 required only one procedure, 5 were improved after two treatments, and 3 underwent three operations. Seventeen of the 23 patients (74%) reported an improvement in quality of life. Surgical complications were mild to moderate, and pain was easily manageable in most cases. Our findings suggest that this procedure can be an effective treatment for socially unacceptable snoring. We hope that in future studies, investigators will evaluate outcomes over a longer term.
Chronic invasive Aspergillus sinusitis is a rare and potentially devastating infection. Management typically requires extensive surgical debridement followed by long-term antifungal therapy, primarily with intravenous amphotericin B. We describe the case of an elderly woman who had been diagnosed with extensive Aspergillus sinusitis that had invaded critical structures. The extensiveness of the infection and the patient's frailty and unwillingness to undergo a disfiguring procedure precluded surgery, and her medical condition was too fragile to withstand amphotericin B therapy. Therefore, we decided to treat her with a combination of caspofungin and voriconazole, two relatively nontoxic antifungal agents that have different mechanisms of action. After administration of this novel regimen, the infection resolved rapidly.
Many common anatomic variations in the nasal cavity have been observed, including paradoxical turbinates and pneumatization of the inferior, middle, and superior turbinates. We describe a case of a rare anomaly—unilateral inferior turbinate agenesis—in a 65-year-old man who had presented with epistaxis. During evaluation, anterior rhinoscopic examination revealed the absence of the right inferior turbinate; this finding was confirmed on computed tomography. The patient had never undergone nasal or sinus surgery, and he denied ever having expelled anything of significance from his nasal cavity. This case merits attention because of the rarity of reports on turbinate agenesis.
We report the unusual case of a 44-year-old man who presented with a plastic foreign body that had been lodged in his right nasal cavity for approximately 35 years. Initial attempts to remove the object were unsuccessful; only after it was broken into several parts was removal achieved. Rigid nasal endoscopy and computed tomography revealed hypoplasia of the ipsilateral inferior turbinate.
