This study aimed to evaluate transoral laser resection as a method of choice for conservation surgery for supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma in carefully selected patients. Between 1987 and 2006, 55 patients with early supraglottic carcinoma were selected for transoral laser surgery. The outcome of the endoscopic CO(2) laser resection and larynx-sparing functional results without tracheotomy was evaluated. Fifty-five patients with T1, T2 supraglottic carcinomas underwent transoral CO(2) laser resection and seven patients with manifest neck metastasis required a neck dissection at one session with additional postoperative radiation therapy. There was no need for tracheotomy; deglutition was moderately disturbed. Forty of the 55 (73%) patients had no signs of recurrence to date. Fifteen patients with local recurrences underwent salvage therapies: six repeated laser excisions, three radiotherapies, four supraglottic laryngectomies and two total laryngectomies. Laser-specific survival is 84% and larynx preservation is 96%. The overall 5-year-survival after salvage treatment is 98%. Development of late metastasis required five radical neck dissections (RND) and radiation therapy. The results indicated that transoral laser resection can control early supraglottic cancer in selected patients and can be combined with simultaneous neck dissection with less morbidity than "open surgery".

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BackgroundNasal deformity associated with cleft lip and palate is a highly challenging reconstructive problem in rhinoplasty. In the literature, several operative solutions and evaluation methods have been described, however these do not offer a standard procedure for the surgeon. Our aim was to standardize our surgical technique—as much as the uniqueness of each case allowed it—based on the most frequent deformities we had faced; and to evaluate our results via a postoperative patient satisfaction questionnaire.Between 2012 and 2014 12 consecutive patients with combined cleft lip and palate deformities underwent secondary nasal and septal correction surgery with the same method by the same surgeon. The indications of surgery were, on one hand, difficult nasal breathing and altered nasal function (tendency for chronic rhinosinusitis) and on the other hand the aesthetic look of the nose. No exclusion criteria were stated. In our follow-up study we evaluated our results by using a modified Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire: patients answered the same four questions pre- and postoperatively. Data were statistically analyzed by t-test.ResultsBased on the questionnaire, all patients experienced improvement of nasal breathing function, improved appearance of the nose and less stigmatization from the society. According to the t-test, all scores of the four questions improved significantly in the postoperative 4–6 months, compared with the preoperative scores.ConclusionsIn our opinion with our standardized surgical steps satisfactory aesthetic and functional results can be achieved. We think the modified ROE questionnaire is an adequate and simple method for the evaluation of our surgical results.

Defects of the skin and underlying soft tissue of the neck are uncommon, and the surgeon's main objective is to achieve reliable long-term coverage of the exposed vital organs with well-vascularised tissue harvested from a distant donor site. We present a patient whose extended irradiation site together with the previous unsuccessful attempt to cover it with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap, needed an extended lower trapezius myocutaneous flap, which seemed to be the only way in which to close the large and deep cervical defect.

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