The objective of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics and to evaluate the treatment options of intractable neck involvement in tularemia. The medical records of 19 tularemia patients with neck involvement were reviewed retrospectively. On physical examination, fluctuation indicating an abscess formation was detected in 78.9% of the patients. Bilateral involvement was seen in 15.8% of the patients. The most common clinical form was glandular form (63.1%). The most commonly involved lymph node group was upper jugular nodes (78.6%). Six patients underwent incision and drainage procedure, five patients underwent superselective neck dissection and eight patients had only medical treatment. Complete and immediate cure, and better tissue healing with less scarring could be achieved in all patients who underwent superselective neck dissections. In conclusion, intractable neck masses and an abscess can be the initial finding in tularemia, and a high index of suspicion is needed in the differential diagnosis. Superselective neck dissection is a safe and effective option in the treatment of long lasting cervical tularemia unless it responds to medical treatment.

Leukoplakia is a nonspecific clinical term used to describe a mucosal white patch or plaque that cannot be easily scraped off. Leukoplakia of vocal cord represents a chronic inflammation or exposure to irritants which can also stimulate development of precancerous conditions or cancer. This study aimed to determine clinical and histopathological characteristics of vocal cord leukoplakia. A total of 66 patients were included. All patients with a clinical diagnosis of vocal cord leukoplakia who had undergone direct laryngoscopic examination and biopsy were analyzed retrospectively. The most common pathological finding was mild dysplasia (25.8%). Cancer was detected in 18.2% of cases. Malignancy was more frequent in cases with unilateral vocal cord involvement (23.4%) when compared with bilateral cases (5.2%) and in patients with localized lesions (19.3%) when compared with lesions involving whole cord (11.1%), but the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Smoking history was found to be related with cancer diagnosis (p < 0.001). In the presence of a serious smoking history, there is high-risk for malignancy and leukoplakia should be sampled immediately for histopathological examination. Although statistically not proven, cancer rates are higher in more localized and unilateral lesions. How to cite this article Kizil Y, Aydil U, Yilmaz M, Ekinci Ö, Güzeldir OT, Savas VA, Köybasioglu A. Vocal Cord Leukoplakia: Characteristics and Pathological Significance. Int J Phonosurg Laryngol 2012;2(1):9-13.

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Myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma (MIFS) is a rare low-grade soft tissue tumor, it usually affecting the distal extremities. Upon conducting a literature review, we could not find a case of MIFS in the submandibular gland. In this study, we described a 44-year-old female patient who presented to our clinic with a complaint of swelling under the left side of her submandibular region that had persisted for eight months. Due to an initial diagnosis of submandibular gland neoplasm, the gland was totally excised. The pathological examination report indicated MIFS, and therefore, the patient was recommended to attend periodic follow-up visits.