Background

Nasopharyngeal swab testing, which has greatly increased in utilization due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is generally safe and well-tolerated, although it may be rarely associated with adverse events.

Methods

Publicly reported adverse events associated with nasopharyngeal COVID-19 testing within the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database and the published literature were queried.

Results

A total of 129 adverse events were reported, including 66 from the MAUDE database and 63 from literature review. The most common complications were swab fracture resulting in retained foreign body (47%), followed by epistaxis (17%), and headache (11%). Seven (12%) of the reported retained foreign body cases required removal under general anesthesia, while 1 (5%) of the epistaxis cases required surgical intervention. The most serious adverse event was meningitis following cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Conclusions

Patients and healthcare providers should be aware of the potential risks associated with testing, with attention to ensuring proper technique, and be prepared to recognize and manage adverse events.

Skull base defects following resection of anterior cranial fossa and sinonasal tumors are not uncommon. Advances in endoscopic techniques have allowed for entirely endonasal resection and reconstruction of these tumors. This article discusses techniques in the evaluation and management of anterior skull base defects.

Despite diagnostic advancements, the development of reliable prognostic systems for assessing the risk of cancer recurrence still remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a novel framework to generate highly representative machine-learning prediction models for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) cancer recurrence. We identified cases of 5- and 10-year OTSCC recurrence from the SEER database. Four classification models were trained using the H₂O ai platform, whose performances were assessed according to their accuracy, recall, precision, and the area under the curve (AUC) of their receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. By evaluating Shapley additive explanation contribution plots, feature importance was studied. Of the 130,979 patients studied, 36,042 (27.5%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 58.2 (13.7) years. The Gradient Boosting Machine model performed the best, achieving 81.8% accuracy and 97.7% precision for 5-year prediction. Moreover, 10-year predictions demonstrated 80.0% accuracy and 94.0% precision. The number of prior tumors, patient age, the site of cancer recurrence, and tumor histology were the most significant predictors. The implementation of our novel SEER framework enabled the successful identification of patients with OTSCC recurrence, with which highly accurate and sensitive prediction models were generated. Thus, we demonstrate our framework's potential for application in various cancers to build generalizable screening tools to predict tumor recurrence.

Objectives The nasoseptal flap (NSF) has become the workhorse for reconstruction in endoscopic endonasal skull-base surgery. The NSF, though useful in reconstruction, may lead to significant donor site morbidity. Published techniques to reduce the donor site morbidity, free mucosal grafts, and septal rotational flaps have shown to reduce crusting and remucosalization times. We present a novel technique utilizing posterior septal mucosa as a free mucosal graft for reconstruction of the anterior septal donor site. The septal mucosal graft is taken from the mucosa overlying the posterior septectomy site of the endonasal approach to skull base tumors. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Single tertiary academic medical center. Participants All patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal skull-base surgery between November 1, 2014 and August 30, 2015 with free mucosal graft reconstruction of the NSF donor site. Main Outcome Measures Postoperative graft success. Results Fifteen patients underwent septal reconstruction using a septal free mucosal graft. There was a 100% graft success rate with near complete remucosalization by 6 weeks postoperatively. Conclusions The posterior septal free mucosal graft is a simple, reliable method for reconstructing the NSF donor site. The advantages of this technique include utilization of native septal mucosal tissue and middle turbinate preservation.

Objectives  Prolactinomas are the most common functional pituitary adenoma. Symptoms of a prolactinoma stem from hormonal causes (menstrual irregularities, galactorrhea, and reduced libido) or from tumor mass effect (visual changes and headache). Gender differences have been noted in prolactinomas, with males presenting with larger tumors and sequelae of mass effect, while females present commonly with hormonal symptoms. The purpose of this study is to evaluate differences in patient and disease characteristics, and outcomes between male and female prolactinoma patients undergoing surgery. Design  This was a retrospective chart review. Setting  This was done at the tertiary medical center. Participants  The medical records of prolactinomas patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery between March 2008 and August 2016 were reviewed. Main Outcome Measures  Demographic information, tumor characteristics, and treatment characteristics and outcomes were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared test or Students t -test as applicable. Results  Seventy-nine patients were identified, 22 males and 57 females. The average age for males was 38 years and for females was 35 years. Males were more likely to present with decreased libido ( p  < 0.0001), whereas females more often presented with galactorrhea ( p  < 0.0001) and menstrual irregularities. Tumor size was larger in males ( p  = 0.0044) with higher likelihood of suprasellar extension ( p  = 0.0409) and cavernous sinus invasion ( p  = 0.0026). Males were more likely to have a subtotal resection rather than gross total resection ( p  = 0.0086) and less likely to have normalization of prolactin levels following surgery ( p  = 0.0019) Conclusion  Male prolactinoma patients tend to have larger tumors with more aggressive features. This may have a role in the differences in outcomes noted in this study.

Objectives Rathkes cleft cysts (RCC) are benign cystic lesions of the sella resulting from incomplete obliteration of Rathkes cleft. Symptomatic lesions often require surgical decompression, which is often amenable to a transnasal, transsphenoidal (TNTS) approach. We report our experience with marsupialization of RCC and describe a novel technique to promote re-epithelization of the cyst cavity. Design Retrospective review. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Participants Patients who underwent TNTS for RCC between 2007 and 2015. Main Outcome Measures Demographics, lesion characteristics, and reconstruction and treatment outcomes. Results In total, 52 patients were identified. The mean age was 41 ± 18 years. The mean RCC size was 13 ± 5 mm. Intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak was encountered in 14 (27%) patients; all were repaired. There were six complications (12%) and no deaths. Mean follow-up was 20 ± 18 months, with five (10%) recurrences. RCC size was associated with intraoperative CSF leak (p = 0.04). In 12 patients, the marsupialized cyst cavity was lined with a free mucosal graft (FMG) to promote healing and re-epithelialization. Conclusions The TNTS approach is safe and effective in surgical decompression of RCC. Lining the exposed cyst cavity with an FMG is a simple intervention without added morbidity that may promote formation of an epithelialized tract. Level of Evidence Not applicable.

Objectives The nasoseptal flap (NSF) has become the workhorse for reconstruction in endoscopic endonasal skull-base surgery. The NSF, though useful in reconstruction, may lead to significant donor site morbidity. Published techniques to reduce the donor site morbidity, free mucosal grafts, and septal rotational flaps have shown to reduce crusting and remucosalization times. We present a novel technique utilizing posterior septal mucosa as a free mucosal graft for reconstruction of the anterior septal donor site. The septal mucosal graft is taken from the mucosa overlying the posterior septectomy site of the endonasal approach to skull base tumors. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Single tertiary academic medical center. Participants All patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal skull-base surgery between November 1, 2014 and August 30, 2015 with free mucosal graft reconstruction of the NSF donor site. Main Outcome Measures Postoperative graft success. Results Fifteen patients underwent septal reconstruction using a septal free mucosal graft. There was a 100% graft success rate with near complete remucosalization by 6 weeks postoperatively. Conclusions The posterior septal free mucosal graft is a simple, reliable method for reconstructing the NSF donor site. The advantages of this technique include utilization of native septal mucosal tissue and middle turbinate preservation.

The current literature lacks strong guidelines regarding surgical management of patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), who present with the clinical triad of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), bronchial asthma, and aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug intolerance. To further define the effectiveness of sinus surgery in treating AERD patients, this review article discusses current evidence regarding outcomes associated with more extensive surgery, the benefits of frontal sinus surgery on polyposis, and the role of Draf III intervention. Numerous studies suggest that Draf III frontal sinusotomy may be an efficacious early intervention due to increased neo-ostial patency and subsequent distribution of topical therapies. Future studies that further investigate the efficacy and safety of extensive surgery in AERD patients are warranted.

Background  Outcome studies on sinonasal malignancy are limited to retrospective case series, often with inclusion of diverse histology and short follow-up. The objective of this study was to identify key predictive variables that independently impact survival for paranasal sinus squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) and to compare these variables in the context of these two distinct clinicopathologic entities. Methods:  Analysis was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 1973 to 2012 to identify key variables that impact survival for SCC and AC. Results  A total of 3,714 cases were included. There were 2,895 SCC cases and 819 AC cases. The mean age at diagnosis was 64.1 years. The male to female ratio for SCC and AC was 1.85 and 1.04, respectively. Patients with SCC and AC were most often diagnosed with stage IV disease in 61.8 and 63.4% of cases, respectively. The majority of patients received combined surgery and radiation (52% for SCC and 43.1% for AC). For SCC, increased age ( p  < 0.001) and stage ( p  < 0.001) were negative predictors, and surgery improved survival ( p  < 0.001) on multivariate analysis. For AC, prognostic factors associated with worse survival include increased age ( p  < 0.001) and grade ( p  < 0.001) on multivariate analysis. Overall survival was significantly higher in AC compared with SCC at 5 years ( p  = 0.001). Conclusion  SCC and AC of the paranasal sinuses are both aggressive malignancies with poor survival. For both histological subtypes, increased age predicts worse survival and grade also closely links to survival in AC. These data have important potential implications for treatment planning and pretreatment counseling.

A tender neck mass in adults can be a diagnostic challenge due to a wide differential diagnosis, which ranges from reactive lymphadenopathy to malignancy. In this report, we describe a case of a young female with an unusually large and tender reactive lymph node with fat necrosis. The diagnostic imaging findings alone mimicked that of scrofula and malignancy, which prompted a complete workup. Additionally, the enlarged lymph node was compressing the internal jugular vein in the setting of oral contraceptive use by the patient, raising concern for Lemierres syndrome or internal jugular vein thrombosis. This report shows how, in the appropriate clinical context, and especially with the involvement of adjacent respiratory or neurovascular structures, aggressive diagnostic testing can be indicated.