Atypical aneurysms of large elastic arteries owing to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vasculopathy are a well described complication of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, there are no reports describing the ultrasound features of these lesions. We performed a retrospective review of ultrasound images of 12 patients presenting with 39 HIV-related aneurysms over a 2 year period. Of these there were a total of 12 patients with symptomatic lesions comprising the superficial femoral artery (n=5), the origin of the internal carotid artery (n=3), the popliteal artery (n=2), the common femoral artery (n=1) and the common iliac artery (n=1). The remainder were asymptomatic and were demonstrated radiologically. The ultrasound features of large symptomatic HIV-related femoral and carotid aneurysms were typical of pseudoaneurysms with a defect or "blow-out" in the vessel wall and turbulent pulsatile flow. Of note was the presence of marked thickening of the vessel adjacent to the aneurysm and hyperechoic "spotting" of the arterial wall. These ultrasound features described may be unique to HIV vasculopathy.

The incidence of tongue carcinoma in Trinidad and Tobago and the greater West Indies is unknown; therefore, the present study examines the frequency of tongue carcinoma cases, drawing comparisons to worldwide and regional data. A retrospective analysis of all confirmed cases of tongue carcinoma was conducted using eight years of data from the pathology records at the Port of Spain General Hospital (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago). A total of 26 cases were confirmed, of which 21 were male (81%) and five were female (19%). The age range was 29–86 years, with a mean age of 57 years, and the most common group affected was the 61–70 years age group. In addition, the number of newly diagnosed cases per year ranged between one and seven, with an average of 3.25 new cases per year and a peak incidence of seven new cases in the year of 2009. In the 19 cases where the degree of differentiation was recorded, histological analysis revealed the extent of differentiation as follows: Five cases (26%) were poorly-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); eight cases (42%) were moderately-differentiated SCC; and six cases (32%) were well-differentiated SCC. In addition, one case of chronic inflammatory process and one case of mucoepidermoid adenocarcinoma of the tongue in a 57-year-old female were identified. Overall, the incidence of tongue carcinoma in Trinidad and Tobago appears to be low, estimated at 0.46/100,000 individuals/year. The male:female ratio is 4:1 and SCC is the dominant cancer type (96% of cases). The peak age of occurrence is at 61–70 years. These findings are in agreement with previously determined global data, however, additional research of the risk factors and outcomes of surgery as a treatment strategy for tongue carcinoma is required.

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The trigeminovagal reflex is a phenomenon that occurs rarely during maxillofacial surgery. Previously described as the oculocardiac reflex, this reflex can occur during ocular and periocular surgery. To be more anatomically precise, it was renamed the trigeminocardiac or trigeminovagal reflex, since stimulation of any part of the trigeminal nerve can elicit this reflex arc. We describe a case of asystole during mobilization of a maxilla following a Le Fort 1 osteotomy.