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Chondrosarcoma is a malignancy rarely encountered in the head and neck. In an attempt to define this tumor's characteristics and response to therapy, all cases of chondrosarcoma treated at the University of Michigan over the past 25 years were retrospectively studied. Fourteen cases originating in the nose and paranasal sinuses, mandible, temporal bone, and larynx were reviewed. Aggressive surgical resection was the mainstay of treatment, and resulted in an overall survival of 70%, with an average follow-up of 3.5 years. Survival was highest in primary temporal bone lesions, and lowest in paranasal sinus lesions. Unresectable lesions were not cured by other modalities. This study, therefore, continued to support the crucial role of wide surgical resection in the treatment of head and neck chondrosarcoma, but conservative resection, when needed to preserve important structures, has resulted in long-term survival.

Background One of several causes of tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) speech failure after total laryngectomy is disturbance in relaxation of the pharyngoesophageal (PE) segment. We introduce the use of chemical denervation of the PE segment through botulinum neurotoxin (Botox®) injection to improve TEP speech. Methods An analysis was performed on eight patients who received Botox® injections for TEP speech problems after total laryngectomy at the University of Iowa between June 4, 1991 and August 8, 1994. Retrospective chart review identified the evolution of pretreatment evaluation and injection technique which became standardized in April 1992. Prospective evaluation of results was recorded by a single speech pathologist who subjectively identified the response to Botox® in all patients and recorded pressure readings at the tracheostoma site during speech in 6 patients. Results Seven of the eight patients were noted to have improved TEP speech following injection. Five of these seven patients experienced substantially improved speech, three of whom had no ability to produce speech prior to the Botox® injection. Conclusion Botox® ingection is a safe and effective method of improving TEP speech in selected patients with disturbed relaxation of pharyngoesophageal segment. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 19: 92–97, 1997.

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