METHODS: A 56-year-old female presented with a 3-month history of blood-stained nasal discharge. She had been treated with radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma 25 years earlier. Flexible nasal endoscopy demonstrated an exposed bone with an edematous posterior nasopharyngeal mass. Computed tomography showed a pre-vertebral mass with destruction of C1 and C2. She underwent occipito-cervical fusion followed by a combined transnasal and transoral endoscopic debridement of non-viable bone in the same perioperative setting. Healing of the raw mucosa was by secondary intention and reconstruction was not performed.
RESULTS: Histopathological examination reported ulcerated inflamed granulation tissue with no evidence of malignancy. During follow-up, she remained neurologically intact with no recurrence.
CONCLUSION: Using both nasal and oral spaces allows placement of the endoscope in the nasal cavity and surgical instruments in the oral cavity without splitting the palate. Hence, the endoscopic transnasal and transoral approach has vast potential to be effective in carefully selected cases of cervical ORN.
BACKGROUND: The mainstay of treatment for carbuncles involves the early administration of antibiotics in combination with surgical intervention. The conventional saucerisation, or incision and drainage, under normal circumstances results in moderate to large wounds, which may need secondary surgery such as skin grafting, resulting in a longer duration of wound healing and jeopardising cosmetic outcome.
CASE REPORTS: The reported three cases presented with extensive carbuncles over the chin, face and lips region. In addition to early commencement of intravenous antibiotics, the pus was drained, with minimal incision and conservative wound debridement, with the aim of maximal skin conservation. This was followed by thrice-daily irrigation with antibiotic-containing solution for a minimum of 2 consecutive days. The wounds healed within two to four weeks, without major cosmetic compromise.
CONCLUSION: The new method showed superior cosmetic outcomes, with a shorter duration of wound healing. Conservative surgical management can be performed under regional anaesthesia, which may reduce morbidity and mortality; patients with facial carbuncles often have higher risks with general anaesthesia.
Materials and Methods: From 2010 to 2017, a total of 19 patients with infected tibia non-union and a bone defect less than 3cm, were treated with debridement and a monolateral frame fixation with acute shortening and lengthening. The patients were divided into two groups: one in which no bone graft was used at the docking site during early years of the study; and a later group in which autologous bone graft was used at the acute docking site primarily in addition to compression. Consolidation at the docking site was assessed both radiographically and clinically, and the results were statistically analysed.
Results: There were 12 patients in Group I without bone graft, where consolidation at the docking site was noted after a mean duration of 22.08 ± 3.87 weeks. There were seven patients in Group II with bone graft, where the mean time for docking site consolidation was significantly lower at 16.57 ± 3.82 weeks. No docking site complications were noted in either group.
Conclusion: Primary autologous bone graft enhances docking site consolidation in acute shortening. The routine use of bone graft at the docking site in acute shortening will expedite the docking site union with reduction of treatment time.