ABSTRACT Objective: To describe our clinical experience with, and functional outcomes of the nasolabial flap for reconstruction of orofacial defects. Methods: Design: Retrospective Case Series Setting: Tertiary National University Hospital Participants: Records of 11 patients on whom a nasolabial flap was performed for reconstruction of head and neck defects between January 2013 and December 2018 were analyzed. Results: All patients underwent wide excision with or without frozen section, with or without neck dissection, and nasolabial flap closure was performed by a single surgeon. There were no major complications. In two cases, the nasolabial flap was used as an adjunct for Abbé and deltopectoral flap reconstruction. One had poor oral competence due to the bulk of the deltopectoral flap. Acceptable aesthetics and functional outcomes were achieved. Conclusion: The nasolabial flap is a viable alternative for reconstruction of orofacial defects following head and neck surgeries. Additional cases can help validate our initial experience

Objectives. The study aims to develop and validate a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire for adult Filipinos with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) that can be used in combination with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 Questionnaire.Methodology. The study had 4 phases. Phase I involved generation of HRQoL issues from literature review, focus group discussions with 6 DTC patients and 5 health care professionals (HCP). Subsequent assessment for relevance and importance of the HRQoL issues by 20 patients and HCP panel was done. Phase II was formulation of the HRQoL issues into questionnaire and subsequent translation into Filipino. Phase III was pilot testing of the questionnaire in 15 patients. Phase IV was validation of the pre-final questionnaire in 231 patients.Results. In Phase I, 28 HRQoL issues were generated. In Phase II, a 28-item Filipino questionnaire was created. In Phase III, 22 items that were not upsetting or confusing to patients and with good range of responses were retained. After Phase IV, a 22-item questionnaire with 5 conceptual scales (perceived fears, psychological distress/anxiety, functionality, voice complaints, neck complaints) was created. Conclusion.The developed and validated 22-item questionnaire can be used to assess HRQoL issues in adult Filipinos with DTC.

This is a case of a 44-year-old woman with an anterior neck mass and hypothyroidism who presented with an incidental finding of an elevated serum calcium level and was found to have primary hyperparathyroidism and osteoporosis. During surgical exploration no parathyroid adenoma was found, although a nodule was palpated within the right thyroid lobe. Examination of the excised right thyroid lobe revealed an intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. After surgery, she did not develop severe hypocalcaemia and this was attributed to preoperative treatment with pamidronate. In the months following surgery, parathyroid hormone remained undetectable.

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