The use of prototyping demonstrated a trend toward a reduced surgical time, smaller bone flaps, and better aesthetic results.

Purpose: To identify and assess predictors of short-term outcomes and a prolonged length of hospital stay after head and neck cancer surgery in older-old and oldest-old patients. Procedures: Patients aged ≥75 years with head and neck cancer undergoing surgery at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute from January to December 2011 were assessed regarding postoperative complications, mortality, and length of hospital stay. Results: Over the study period, 67 patients with head and neck cancer underwent surgery, 44.8% of whom developed complications within 30 days of surgery, surgical site and respiratory infections (29.9 and 20.9%, respectively) being the most common. The mean length of hospital stay was 7 days (range: 2-26). In multivariate analysis, previous radiotherapy, dependence in instrumental activities of daily living, and low serum hemoglobin (≤13.2 g/dl) were predictors of complications. In addition, the presence of at least 1 clinical or surgical complication, smoking, and an arm circumference ≤25 cm were independent predictors of a prolonged length of hospital stay. Conclusions: Complications after head and neck cancer surgery in the elderly are common and related to the prolonged length of hospital stay, both being influenced by previous radiotherapy, smoking, functional dependence in instrumental activities of daily living, and nutritional conditions. Such predictors should be considered in a preoperative assessment of elderly patients as these are modifiable risk factors.

Major resections of bone tumors of the head and neck, owing to their small dimensions and their proximity to the organs in this region, cause important functional and aesthetic problems that significantly compromise patients' quality of life. Therefore, therapeutic planning should always extend beyond the resection to include functional and aesthetic reconstruction, preferably immediately. Microsurgical reconstruction represents a significant advance, but has not yet been perfected. Rapid prototyping (RP) comes as a new technology for the purpose of assisting the surgeon in the visual and tactile aspects of surgery, providing diagnostic accuracy and increasing the success of surgical planning. The authors demonstrate the technological advances in the manufacture of customized mandibular prostheses with the assistance of RP and practical applications of these methods.

Proliferating trichilemmal tumor is a rare tumor originating in the external root sheath, that is usually found in the scalp of middle-aged or elderly females. Its histologic appearance may not correlate with its clinical behavior. In addition, there are no guidelines available for the treatment of these tumors, making its management a challenge for physicians. We report the case of a 53 year-old woman with a proliferating trichilemmal tumor on her nose, which is a very uncommon location for these lesions. Resumo: Tumor triquilemal proliferante é um tumor raro com origem na baínha radicular externa, que é encontrado geralmente no couro cabeludo de mulheres de meia idade ou idosas. A sua aparência his-tológica pode não se correlacionar com o seu comportamento clínico. Além disso, não há diretrizes dis-poníveis para o tratamento destes tumores, tornando a sua gestão um desafio para os médicos. Relatamos o caso de uma mulher de 53 anos com com um tumor triquilémico proliferante no nariz, que é uma localização muito incomum para essas lesões.

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