Fourth branchial cleft sinuses are rare, and the nature of their origin is controversial. Clinical presentation is varied because they may present as asymptomatic neck masses, recurrent neck abscesses, or suppurative thyroiditis. We describe herein 7 children who presented with abscesses on the left side of their necks, 3 of whom had abscesses that involved the thyroid gland. Direct laryngoscopy revealed that all 7 children had a sinus tract opening into the apex of the piriform sinus. Endoscopic obliteration of this tract was achieved using an insulated electrocautery probe either when the abscess was initially incised and drained or 4 to 6 weeks later. All 7 children recovered uneventfully. Four of the 7 children were followed up for more than 18 months without recurrence.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Surgery is considered to be the mainstay of treatment for glomus jugulare tumors. A subset of patients are poor surgical candidates based on age, medical problems, tumor size, or prior treatment failure. The purpose of this study was to review our results with stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife treatment) in this group of patients, with particular attention to adverse reactions and symptom relief. Study Design: Retrospective review and phone survey. Methods: Charts were reviewed for size and location of tumor, history of previous treatment, symptoms before and after treatment, amount of radiation received, acute and late complications, and functional level before and after treatment. Pretreatment and posttreatment magnetic resonance imaging scans were also reviewed. Identified patients were then contacted for a phone interview. Results: Eight patients were identified. Phone interviews were conducted with four patients. Four patients had failed previous treatment. Follow‐up ranged from 7 to 104 months. One patient experienced an acute complication: intractable vertigo requiring hospitalization. No patient experienced delayed cranial neuropathies. No patient reported worsening of any of the following symptoms: pulsatile tinnitus, hearing loss, facial weakness, hoarseness, or difficulty swallowing. Three patients reported improvement in their pulsatile tinnitus. Two patients reported improvement in hearing loss, and one patient each reported improvement in vertigo and difficulty swallowing. Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest that stereotactic radiosurgery is useful to control symptoms and may be delivered safely in patients with primary or recurrent glomus jugulare tumors who are poor surgical candidates.

Massive calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition is a rare disorder that may affect the temporomandibular joint and temporal bone. The diagnosis is difficult, and misdiagnosis as malignancy, particularly chondrosarcoma, is frequent. This can lead to unnecessarily aggressive management. The clinical, radiographic, and pathologic features of this entity are reviewed, and treatment options are discussed.

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This study is the first demonstration that fosfomycin does not inhibit the tumoricidal efficacy of cisplatinum in vivo. This suggests that fosfomycin may be useful in preventing cisplatinum-induced ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity in humans without altering the tumor response rate.