Acute supraglottitis in adults seems to be a different entity than epiglottitis in children, and inflammation does not usually exclusively involve the epiglottis. Early diagnosis seems to decrease the need for airway intervention and to permit the successful treatment of the patient with intravenous antibiotics and corticosteroids. Streptococcus appears as the dominant causative microorganism. However systemic diseases and other local infections that compromise the regional supraglottic immunity may increase the risk for acute supraglottitis.

Both balloon sinuplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery improved the quality of life of patients with mild chronic or recurrent rhinosinusitis. However, the remarkably higher material cost of balloon sinuplasty compared to ESS sets limits on its broad use. There is an obvious need for further study to find out if, as an office procedure, balloon sinuplasty could deliver cost-savings high enough to cover the higher material cost of balloon sinuplasty. Our study was, however, too small to enable firm conclusions to be drawn.

The first European Rhinology Research Forum organized by the European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA) was held in the Royal Academy of Medicine in Brussels on 17th and 18th November 2016, in collaboration with the European Rhinologic Society (ERS) and the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN). One hundred and thirty participants (medical doctors from different specialties, researchers, as well as patients and industry representatives) from 27 countries took part in the multiple perspective discussions including brainstorming sessions on care pathways and research needs in rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. The debates started with an overview of the current state of the art, including weaknesses and strengths of the current practices, followed by the identification of essential research needs, thoroughly integrated in the context of Precision Medicine (PM), with personalized care, prediction of success of treatment, participation of the patient and prevention of disease as key principles for improving current clinical practices. This report provides a concise summary of the outcomes of the brainstorming sessions of the European Rhinology Research Forum 2016.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the diagnosis and management of patients with substernal goiter (SSG) on the basis of our experience. We conducted a retrospective study of all SSGs within a series of 591 thyroidectomies performed in a tertiary referral center over a period of 14 years, analyzing epidemiological data, diagnostic criteria, and surgical results. There were 37 (6%) patients with descending goiter: 28 women (mean age 57.1 years) and 9 men (mean age 61 years). All 37 patients underwent successful surgical treatment without any major postoperative complications. A postoperative histological examination revealed a 16.6% incidence of malignancy. Despite the size and close proximity to vital organs in the mediastinum, all of the SSGs were managed successfully. A neck approach was used in all except for one patient who was operated on via sternotomy. A thorough preoperative evaluation including computed tomography scan of the neck and mediastinum, and an appropriate surgical technique ensure a positive outcome for most patients with an SSG.

Ectopic internal carotid artery (ICA) is a very rare variation. The major congenital abnormalities of the ICA can be classified as agenesis, aplasia and hypoplasia, and they can be unilateral or bilateral. Anomalies of the neck artery may be vascular neoplasms or ectopic position. Carotid angiograms provide absolute confirmation of an aberrant carotid artery, while EcoColorDoppler (ECD) gives also important information about the evaluation of carotid vassels. Nevertheless Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the neck provide spatial information about the adjacent pharyngeal anatomy and are less invasive than angiogram. Injuries to the ICA during simple pharyngeal surgical procedures can be catastrophic due to the risk of massive bleeding. We report a case of a 56 year-old male patient suffering from dysphagia associated with aberrant ICA manifesting itself as a pulsative protruding of the left lateral wall of the oropharynx.