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To our knowledge, this case represents a very rare occurrence of the congenital variety of complete third branchial arch fistula at an unusual site. This case indicates that third branchial arch fistula can be complete, and may present in the anterior neck, an unusual site. In such cases, computed tomography fistulography and injection of dye into the pyriform sinus enables intra-operative delineation of the tract.

Thyroglossal duct anomalies are the most common malformations in the neck and constitute 70% of all the congenital cervical masses. They are more common in the pediatric population under 5 years of age, and 60% of lesions are diagnosed before the age of 20. They represent remnants from the embryological migration of thyroid tissue from foramen caecum to the thyroid fossa. The thyroglossal duct cyst may rupture spontaneously and present as a draining sinus, which has been erroneously called a thyroglossal fistula, although communication with foramen caecum is extremely rare. We hereby present a case of true thyroglossal fistula in a 21-year-old male with a fistulous communication between the neck skin and foramen caecum.

BackgroundTumor thickness has been shown in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) to be a predictor of cervical metastasis. The postoperative histological measurement is certainly the most accurate, but it would be of clinical interest to gain this information prior to treatment planning. This retrospective study aimed to compare the tumor thickness measurement between preoperative, CT scan, and surgical specimens .MethodsWe retrospectively included 116 OTSCC patients between 2001 and 2013. Thickness was measured on computer tomography imaging and again surgical specimens.ResultsThe median age was 66 years. 62.8 % of patients were smokers with a mean of 31.4 pack-years. Positive nodal disease was reported in 41.2 %. Mean follow-up time was 33.1 months. The correlation between CT scan-based tumor thickness and surgical specimens based thickness was significant (Spearman rho = 0.755, P < 0.001).ConclusionTumor thickness assessed by CT scan may provide an accurate estimation of true thickness and can be used in treatment planning.