Over the past three decades, the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma has increased, primarily related to the spread of human papillomavirus. Treatment has always been preferentially unimodal (surgery or radiotherapy) for early stage disease and multimodal (surgery with adjuvant therapy or concomitant chemoradiotherapy) for advanced stages. Recently, the surgical approach has gained renewed interest due to the morbidity of non-surgical treatments and also to technical innovations. We have coined the term 3Des (3D exoscope surgery) to describe the use of the 3D Vitom Exoscope System for transoral surgery of oropharyngeal cancers. During the period from June 2017 to May 2018, 10 patients with oropharyngeal cancer were treated by oropharyngeal surgery with the 3Des approach at FPO IRCCS Institute of Candiolo. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate the utility of 3Des for the treatment of early-stage oropharyngeal cancer. 3Des could represent a viable alternative to the operating microscope and robotic surgery thanks to its excellent ability to provide 3D visual information, depth of field, magnification, image contrast, color imaging, and low running costs. It promises great utility in the learning process, with the possibility of recording in high definition.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to identify different radiological features in intermediate–advanced laryngeal cancer (LC) associated with arytenoid fixation, in order to differentiate cases still safely amenable to conservative treatment by partial laryngectomy or chemoradiotherapy. Methods: 29 consecutive patients who underwent open partial horizontal laryngectomies (OPHLs), induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy in the case of >50% response (IC + RT) or total laryngectomy were classified as: pattern I (supraglottic LC fixing the arytenoid due to weight effect), pattern II (glottic LC involving the posterior paraglottic space and spreading toward the crico-arytenoid joint and infraglottic extension <10 mm), pattern III (glottic—infraglottic LC involving the crico-arytenoid joint and infraglottic extension >10 mm) and pattern IV (transglottic and infraglottic LC with massive crico-arytenoid unit involvement, reaching the hypopharyngeal submucosa). All glottic cancers treated with surgery were studied by a cross sectional approach. Results: A substantial agreement between the work-up and the pathology results has been obtained in each of the subcategories. Three-year disease-free survivals, local control and freedom from laryngectomy were significantly better in pattern II compared to pattern III–IV. Conclusions: LC showing fixed arytenoid due to weight effect or posterior paraglottic space involvement with infraglottic extension <10 mm assessed at the true vocal cord midline are still safely manageable by OPHL or IC + RT.

SUMMARY Objective The recent introduction of 3D exoscopic surgery has allowed interesting technical improvements in head and neck surgery resulting in technical solutions that are also applicable to neck dissection. The aim is to replace robotic surgery while minimising the costs of the procedure. Methods Based on these considerations, we conducted a preclinical investigation in the cadaver lab focused on approaching conventional neck dissection using a retroauricular incision, and evalute the applications and usefulness of the Storz 3D Exoscopic System at different stages of the surgical procedure. The acronym RAND-3D (3D exoscopic surgery) was coined to describe the application of this optical tool in neck dissection. Results The current study in the cadaver lab indicates that RAND-3D is an acceptable alternative operating technique in performing neck dissection by a retroauricular approach. Technically feasible and safe, this technique assures a complete compartment-oriented dissection without damaging major vascular or nervous structures. Conclusions This approach can be used in selected cases with a clear cosmetic benefit and represents a valid alternative to endoscopic- and robotic-assisted neck dissection.

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Surgery for laryngeal malignancies requires millimetric accuracy from the different endoscopic and open techniques available. Practice of this surgery is almost completely reserved to a few referral centers that deal with a large proportion of this pathology. Practice on human specimens is not always possible for ethical, economic, or availability reasons. The aim of this study is to provide a reproducible method for the organization of a laryngeal laboratory on ex vivo animal models where it is possible to approach, learn, and refine laryngeal techniques. Porcine and ovine larynges are ideal, affordable, models to simulate laryngeal surgery given their similarity to the human larynx in their anatomical layout and tissue composition. Herein, the surgical steps of transoral laser surgery, open partial horizontal laryngectomy, and total laryngectomy are reported. The merging of endoscopic and exoscopic views guarantees an inside-out perspective, which is vital for the comprehension of the complex laryngeal anatomy. The method was successfully adopted during three sessions of a dissection course "Lary-Gym". Further perspectives on robotic surgical training are described.