[Secondary acquired lacrimal duct obstruction and cervical lymphadenopathy]

Rare Diseases of the Oral Cavity, Neck, and Pharynx

Diseases occurring with an incidence of less than 1-10 cases per 10 000 individuals are considered as rare. Currently, between 5 000 and 8 000 rare or orphan diseases are known, every year about 250 rare diseases are newly described. Many of those pathologies concern the head and neck area. In many cases, a long time is required to diagnose an orphan disease. The lives of patients who are affected by those diseases are often determined by medical consultations and inpatient stays. Most orphan diseases are of genetic origin and cannot be cured despite medical progress. However, during the last years, the perception of and the knowledge about rare diseases has increased also due to the fact that publicly available databases have been created and self-help groups have been established which foster the autonomy of affected people. Only recently, innovative technical progress in the field of biogenetics allows individually characterizing the genetic origin of rare diseases in single patients. Based on this, it should be possible in the near future to elaborate tailored treatment concepts for patients suffering from rare diseases in the sense of translational and personalized medicine. This article deals with orphan diseases of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, and cervical soft tissues depicting these developments. The readers will be provided with a compact overview about selected diseases of these anatomical regions. References to further information for medical staff and affected patients support deeper knowledge and lead to the current state of knowledge in this highly dynamic field.

[Low-dose helical CT-dacryocystography in nasolacrimal duct obstruction-a prospective study]

BACKGROUND

In addition to basic ophthalmologic diagnostic workup, different radiologic procedures can be performed for assessment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. However, no gold standard imaging technique has yet been established. Using the results of the present study, the advantages of helical CT-dacryocystography (CT-DCG) are demonstrated, particularly when performed before endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In 21 patients with uni- or bilateral epiphora, 24 low-dose helical CT-DCGs were performed with non-ionic iodine-containing contrast medium and including three-dimensional reconstruction. For 8 patients, digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-DCG results were available for comparison with CT-DCG.

RESULTS

Using low-dose helical CT-DCG, either the location of nasolacrimal duct pathology could be exactly identified (n = 19; stenosis presaccal n = 3, intrasaccal n = 11, postsaccal n = 5) or nasolacrimal system block could be definitively excluded as the cause of epiphora (n = 5). For imaging of the perilacrimal and periorbital bony structures, CT-DCG is significantly better than DSA-DCG.

CONCLUSION

Low-dose helical CT-DCG with reconstruction of the coronal and sagittal planes represents an ideal imaging technique with low exposure for detection of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. By demonstrating all relevant anatomic landmarks for endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, helical CT-DCG enables head and neck surgeons to plan surgery optimally.