• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.11 no.2 s.22
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• pp.36-39
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• 2005

Neurofibromatosis type II is an autosomal dominant, highly penetrant disease whose hallmark is bilateral vestibular schwannoma. Hearing loss is the most symptom in Neurofibromatosis type II. The patient can also present with tinnitus, disequilibrium, and headache. Cranial nerve symptoms, such as facial numbness or weakness, dysphagia, or hoarseness, can also be present. The authors experienced a case of neurofibromatosis type II having huge retropharyngeal mass, retropharyngeal abscess, and bilateral acoustic neuromas. The infection was controled with aggressive antibiotics with drainage. The huge neurilemmoma in retropharyngeal space was removed successfully via transoral approach. The authors report the case with literature review.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2022

Retropharyngeal schwannoma is rare. To the best of our knowledge, only 18 cases have been published in the English literature. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice for schwannomas. Transoral approaches have been applied for smaller lesions, and external cervical approaches are preferred for larger and more complex lesions. In this report, we present a case of large retropharyngeal schwannoma that was excised using an endoscopic-assisted transoral approach with palatal splitting. Postoperative functional and oncologic outcomes were satisfactory with no reported intraoperative/postoperative complications.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.231-233
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• 2006

The C2 level is the transition zone between the cranial and cervical spine. Because of its high position and anatomic relationship to vital structures, exposing C2 is challenging and the surgical approach is controversial. We report a of a recurred chordoma in C2 portion, occupying the osseous intraspinal portion. The patient underwent total corpectomy of C3 and gross total removal of tumor by right submandibular approach 3 years previously. We performed a lateral extrapharyngeal approach from contralateral left side with resection C2 central portion followed by gross total removal of mass and placement of graft bone. Although there was transient hypoglossal nerve palsy postoperatively, the patient had full recovery.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.28-30
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• 2014

Foreign bodies in upper aerodigestive tract migrating into retropharyngeal space are rarely encountered emergent cases in otolaryngologic fields. A 60-years-old female presented throat pain and lump sense after a meal. Computer tomography showed metallic foreign body impacted in the retropharyngeal space. A hypopharyngeal perforation was suspected by through flexible laryngoscopy and gastrointestinal endoscopy. It was successfully removed by external cervical approach, and we report this case with a review of the related literatures.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.76-79
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• 2001

A 60-year-old male was admitted due to cervical spine injury (C7-T1 fracture dislocation) and quadriparesis after slip down. During conservative management in department of neurologic surgery, he complainted of fever, dyspnea, neck swelling. Follow up cervicothoracic CT revealed abscess pocket in paraglottic, retropharyngeal, anterior cervical spaces and mediastinum. Also noted bilateral pleural effusions. Under impression of descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM). cervical drainage and bilateral chest tube insertion was performed immediately. On next day. mediastinal drainage through mediastinotomy was performed with careful handling of cervical spine. Escherichia coli was identified in bacteriologic culture. Wire fixation of dislocated C7-T1 spine through Posterior approach was performed on 30th days after mediastinotomy. Right chest tube was removed on 40th days. At now, the patient is on rehabilitation and physical training program. DNM is relatively rare, but lethal disease with high mortality. Immedate and sufficient mediastinal drainage is essential in treatment.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2016

Purpose: To evaluate the patterns of nodal failure after radiotherapy (RT) with the reduced volume approach for elective neck nodal irradiation (ENI) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Materials and Methods: Fifty-six NPC patients who underwent definitive chemoradiotherapy with the reduced volume approach for ENI were reviewed. The ENI included retropharyngeal and level II lymph nodes, and only encompassed the echelon inferior to the involved level to eliminate the entire neck irradiation. Patients received either moderate hypofractionated intensity-modulated RT for a total of 72.6 Gy (49.5 Gy to elective nodal areas) or a conventional fractionated three-dimensional conformal RT for a total of 68.4-72 Gy (39.6-45 Gy to elective nodal areas). Patterns of failure, locoregional control, and survival were analyzed. Results: The median follow-up was 38 months (range, 3 to 80 months). The out-of-field nodal failure when omitting ENI was none. Three patients developed neck recurrences (one in-field recurrence in the 72.6 Gy irradiated nodal area and two in the elective irradiated region of 39.6 Gy). Overall disease failure at any site developed in 11 patients (19.6%). Among these, there were six local failures (10.7%), three regional failures (5.4%), and five distant metastases (8.9%). The 3-year locoregional control rate was 87.1%, and the distant failure-free rate was 90.4%; disease-free survival and overall survival at 3 years was 80% and 86.8%, respectively. Conclusion: No patient developed nodal failure in the omitted ENI site. Our investigation has demonstrated that the reduced volume approach for ENI appears to be a safe treatment approach in NPC.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.686-689
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• 1999

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis(DNM) is a rare complication of the oropharyngeal and cervical infection. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis requires an early and aggressive surgical approach to reduce the high morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. A 39-year-old man complained of odynophagia, neck swelling, and disturbance of swallowing with dyspnea. CT scans of the neck suggested a peritonsillar abscess and retropharyngeal and peripharyngeal abscess. He underwent cervical drainage. He remained febrile and complained of severe both pain in both shoulders. On postoperative day 5, a follow-up CT scan confirmed a mediastinal abscess. Reexploration of the neck and right thoracotomy for debridement and drainage of the mediastinal abscess were performed.. A large amount of pus was drained from the anterior and posterior mediastinum and its necrotic tissue was debrided. The patient's condition and radiologic findings gradually improved. Cultures of the drain fluid revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae. He was discharged on the 85th hospital day. In our experience, both transcervical drainage and aggressive mediastinal exploration via thoracotomy can lead to an improvement in the survival of the patient with descending necrotizing mediastinitis. CT scanning is useful for early diagnosis of mediastinitis and for follow up.