Robotic-assisted Base of Tongue Resection for Adult Sleep Apnea

A 52-year-old female presented for an evaluation for sleep apnea surgery.  She complained of choking sensation at night.  She had an AHI of 6.7 events per hour, a oxygen saturation nadir of 71%, and BMI of 30.6.  She and a prior history of adenotonsillectomy as a child.  Flexible examination in the office revealed grade 4 lingual tonsil hypertrophy.  She was deemed a candidate for lingual tonsillectomy and was taken to the operating for robotic lingual tonsillectomy.  The technique for adult lingual tonsillectomy is shown in step-by-step fashion with tips for good results both operatively and functionally learned from robotic surgery for cancer of the unknown primary origin.

Contributors: Jessica Moskovitz, MD, Leila J. Mady, MD, PhD, MPH, Umamaheswar Duvvuri, MD, PhD

Endoscopic Sphenopalatine Artery Ligation

A 58-year-old female on Plavix presented to the ER with recurrent left-sided epistaxis after two prior endoscopic control of epistaxis at an outside hospital.  The patient’s hemoglobin and hematocrit at presentation were 8.3 gm/dL and 25.4%.  Given the unilateral presentation, antiplatelet therapy, and recently failed endoscopic control, the patient was taken to the operating room for transnasal endoscopic sphenopalatine artery ligation (TESPAL) with bipolar cautery.

Contributors:

Mathew Geltzeiler and Eric Wang

Robotic-Assisted Posterior Mediastinal Mass Resection

A 34-year-old non-hypertensive, obese female with a history of smoking, asthma, fibromyalgia presented at the ED with hemoptysis, dyspnea, and emesis for two weeks. At presentation the patient was afebrile, vital signs were stable and labs showed unremarkable CBC and BMP. Chest X-ray showed an abnormal soft tissue density within the subcarinal region. A follow-up chest CT with contrast revealed a posterior mediastinal mass measuring 5.4 cm x 3.6 cm in size with well-circumscribed borders. The patient was referred to cardiothoracic surgery for complete excision of the mass. She underwent robotic-assisted posterior mediastinal mass resection.

Reconstruction of Transcribriform Skull Base Defects

A 51 year-old male presented to an outside otolaryngologist with recurrent facial pain and congestion. He was found to have a left-sided nasal mass.  A work-up was performed, complete with biopsy, which was diagnosed as non-intestinal type adenocarcinoma.  He underwent resection via the endoscopic endonasal transcribriform approach.  In this video publication, we present our preferred method of reconstruction for sinonasal malignancies treated by endoscopic transcribriform resection using a multilayered closure with the following: a subdural DuraGen inlay graft, a fascia lata onlay graft, and an extradural, extracranial onlay pericranial flap via nasionectomy.  A lumbar drain was placed at the end of the case for CSF diversion until the fifth postoperative day.

Contributors:

Paul A. Gardner, MD, Eric W. Wang, MD, Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda, MD, and Carl H. Snyderman, MD, MBA

The Extended Nasoseptal Flap

A 31 year-old male presented with diplopia and was found to have left sixth nerve palsy on physical examination.  Work-up with MRI revealed a hypointense mass on T2 images involving the mid to lower clivus with penetration of the posterior fossa dura.  The patient had no complaints of nasal obstruction, no prior nasal surgery or nasal trauma.  Intraoperative frozen section analysis revealed chordoma.

Author Note: minute 3:41 “rostrum” was spelled incorrectly.

Contributor:

Eric Wang

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