A novel procedure combining transoral resection and set-back tongue flap for oropharyngeal cancer

Seven patients with advanced lateral oropharyngeal cancer (T3N2bM0, or T4N2bM0) underwent transoral lateral oropharyngectomy (TLO) with reconstruction performed through set-back tongue flap and polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet. TLO was performed following en bloc resection of tumors using endoscopy. To cover the resulting defect in the lateral oropharyngeal wall, the set-back tongue flap was moved posteriorly and laterally to the area of the tongue base and lateral pharyngeal wall. The tip of the set-back tongue flap was sutured to the lateral pharynx to reconstruct the elevated tongue base and altered anterior pillar. The defect on the floor of the mouth was reconstructed using a PGA sheet. Following surgery, the mean observation period was 24 months. The mean operating time was 4 h and 2 min, with an average blood loss of 68.1 ml. All oral intake resumed on the first postoperative day via gastric tube. The mean gastric tube removal time was 1.6 postoperative days as a result of sufficient oral intake. None of the patients received postoperative radiotherapy or displayed evidence of tumor recurrence. We conclude that this novel procedure is highly effective for treating advanced oropharyngeal cancer as it demonstrates good prognostic and functional outcomes.     

加速康复外科理念在脊柱结核围手术期护理中的应用效果分析

目的: 分析探讨加速康复外科(ERAS)理念在脊柱结核围手术期护理应用中的效果。 方法: 收集青岛市胸科医院外科2017年7月至2020年6月收治的147例脊柱结核患者。其中,2017年7月至2018年12月收治的68例脊柱结核手术患者围手术期应用常规护理,作为对照组;2019年1月至2020年6月收治的79例脊柱结核手术患者在常规护理措施基础上融入了ERAS理念,作为ERAS组。比较两组患者的引流管拔除、最初下床进行功能锻炼、最初自主排尿的时间,术后72h疼痛(采用视觉模拟评分法)评分,住院天数,恶心呕吐、肺部感染、药物性肝损伤的发生率,以及患者满意度的差异。 结果: 与对照组相比,ERAS组患者引流管拔除时间[6.00(4.00,8.00)d和8.00(7.00,8.00)d;W=4321.000,P<0.001]、最初下床进行功能锻炼时间[2.00(2.00,4.00)d和5.50(4.25,6.00)d;W=3376.000,P<0.001]、首次在床上自主排尿时间[5.00(3.00,6.00)h和9.00(7.00,9.00)h;W=3369.000,P<0.001]、术后72h疼痛评分[3.00(2.00,4.00)分和5.00(5.00,6.00)分;W=4078.500,P<0.001]、住院总天数[19.00(18.00,21.00)d和22.00(19.00,27.00)d;W=4791.500,P<0.001]均有所下降,差异均有统计学意义。与对照组相比,ERAS组术后恶心呕吐发生率[7.6%(6/79)和19.1%(13/68);χ²=4.311,P=0.038]、肺部感染发生率[2.5%(2/79)和11.8%(8/68);χ²=4.914,P=0.027]、药物性肝损伤发生率[1.3%(1/79)和13.2%(9/68),χ²=8.258,P=0.004]均有所下降,差异均有统计学意义。ERAS组患者满意度高于对照组[96.2%(76/79)和85.3%(58/68),χ²=7.100,P=0.008],差异有统计学意义。 结论: ERAS理念应用于脊柱结核围手术期护理可以加速患者的康复,减少并发症的发生,提高患者的满意度。     

Vestibular Function Measurement Devices

Vestibular function laboratories utilize a multitude of diagnostic instruments to evaluate a dizzy patient. Caloric irrigators, oculomotor stimuli, and rotational chairs produce a stimulus whose accuracy is required for the patient response to be accurate. Careful attention to everything from cleanliness of equipment to threshold adjustments determine on a daily basis if patient data are going to be correct and useful. Instrumentation specifications that change with time such as speed and temperature must periodically be checked using calibrated instruments.     

Exact confidence intervals for the average causal effect on a binary outcome

Based on the physical randomization of completely randomized experiments, in a recent article in Statistics in Medicine, Rigdon and Hudgens propose two approaches to obtaining exact confidence intervals for the average causal effect on a binary outcome. They construct the first confidence interval by combining, with the Bonferroni adjustment, the prediction sets for treatment effects among treatment and control groups, and the second one by inverting a series of randomization tests. With sample size n, their second approach requires performing O(n⁴)randomization tests. We demonstrate that the physical randomization also justifies other ways to constructing exact confidence intervals that are more computationally efficient. By exploiting recent advances in hypergeometric confidence intervals and the stochastic order information of randomization tests, we propose approaches that either do not need to invoke Monte Carlo or require performing at most O(n²)randomization tests. We provide technical details and R code in the Supporting Information . Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.