The Laryngoscope
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Eighty-five cases of cancer of the tongue treated with total glossectomy are presented; 82 had a squamous carcinoma. The majority had a large primary with no disease in the neck. Thus only 6 patients required concurrent therapeutic radical neck dissection. ⋯ Local recurrence rate was 42% for predominantly posterior lesions and 27% for anterior lesions. The speech, though not quite articulate, was fairly understandable. Thus, in cases of total glossectomy preservation of larynx is worthwhile and justifiable except when involved with disease, when the risk of even minor degrees of aspiration is high (elderly, frail individuals) and with associated extensive pharyngeal resection hampering the swallowing machanism.
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Cavernous sinus thrombosis is a serious life threatening condition which usually results from midfacial skin infections. Preantibiotic era mortality rates of 80% have improved markedly because of an early awareness of the condition and prompt initiation of parenteral antibiotics. Sphenoid sinusitis is an uncommon associated cause of cavernous sinus infection and is itself a rare and elusive clinical problem. A case of sphenoid sinusitis and concurrent cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis is presented to highlight the clinical diagnostic considerations with special emphasis on bilateral eye signs as indicators of the impending thrombophlebitic process.