The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Nov 2014
Changes of perfusion of microvascular free flaps in the head and neck: a prospective clinical study.
Reconstruction with a free flap is routine in head and neck surgery. However, reliable assessment of perfusion can be difficult, so we prospectively evaluated it in 4 types of microvascular free flaps in the oral cavity (n=196) and assessed differences in blood flow by non-invasive monitoring with a laser Doppler flowmetry unit. We measured oxygen saturation, haemoglobin concentration, and velocity on the surface of the flap preoperatively at the donor site, and on the flap on the first, second, and seventh postoperative days, and after 4 weeks in 186/196 patients, mean (SD) age of 60 (13) years. ⋯ There were significant differences in haemoglobin concentrations between the fibular and soleus perforator flaps, and between the anterolateral thigh and soleus perforator flaps (p=0.002 each). Free flaps are unique in the way that perfusion develops after microvascular anastomoses. Knowledge of how each flap is perfused may indicate different patterns of healing that could potentially influence long term rehabilitation and detection of future deficits in perfusion.
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Sep 2014
Comparative StudyDoes elective neck dissection in T1/T2 carcinoma of the oral tongue and floor of the mouth influence recurrence and survival rates?
The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of elective neck dissection compared with observation (control group) in selected cases of early carcinoma of the oral tongue and floor of the mouth. It was a retrospective analysis of 222 patients who had the tumour resected (161 also had elective neck dissection). Occult lymph node metastases were detected in 33/161 (21%), and neck recurrences were diagnosed in 10 of the 61 patients in the control group (16%). ⋯ The 5-year disease-specific survival was 85% in the group treated by neck dissection and 96% in the observation group (p=0.09). Rigorous follow-up of selected low risk patients is associated with high rates of salvage, and overall survival was similar to the observed survival in patients treated by elective neck dissection. Observation is a reasonable option in the treatment of selected patients.
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · May 2014
Comparative StudyAnaesthetic efficacy of bupivacaine 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin for dental anaesthesia after inferior alveolar nerve block in rats.
Bupivacaine is a long-acting local anaesthetic that is widely used in medicine and dentistry. The duration and intensity of its sensory blockade in animal models is increased by its inclusion in complexes with cyclodextrins. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anaesthetic efficacy of bupivacaine 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) inclusion complex for dental anaesthesia after inferior alveolar nerve block in rats. ⋯ There were no differences among the formulations in onset of anaesthesia (p=0.59) or between the bupivacaine plus epinephrine and bupivacaine plus HPβCD in duration of anaesthesia, but bupivacaine plus epinephrine gave significantly higher values than bupivacaine alone (p=0.007). Bupivacaine plus epinephrine was a better anaesthetic than bupivacaine alone (p=0.02), while Bupi-HPβCD gave intermediate results, and therefore did not differ significantly from the other 2 groups (p=0.18 with bupivacaine alone; and p=0.44 with bupivacaine plus epinephrine). The bupivacaine-HPβCD complex showed similar anaesthetic properties to those of bupivacaine with epinephrine.
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Mar 2014
Lingual nerve injury following use of a supraglottic airway device.
We present the case of a 64-year-old woman who lost sensation on the left side of her tongue after an orthopaedic procedure under general anaesthetic. It provides evidence that anaesthetic airway devices can injure the lingual nerve.
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Feb 2014
Analysis of time taken to discuss new patients with head and neck cancer in multidisciplinary team meetings.
Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings have an important role in the management of head and neck cancer. Increasing incidence of the disease and a drive towards centralised meetings on large numbers of patients mean that effective discussions are pertinent. We aimed to evaluate new cases within a single high volume head and neck cancer MDT and to explore the relation between the time taken to discuss each case, the number of discussants, and type of case. ⋯ Most discussions on patients with early stage tumours were short (T1: 58% less than 60s, mean 90) and fewer people contributed. Many patients, particularly those with early stage disease, require little discussion, and their treatment might reasonably be planned according to an agreed protocol, which would leave more time and resources for those that require greater multidisciplinary input. Further studies may highlight extended discussions on patients with head and neck cancer, which may prompt a review of protocols and current evidence.