Browsing by Author "Silva, Ana"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Intrasphenoidal Rathke’s Cleft Cyst: An Uncommon FeatPublication . Sousa-Machado, André; Silva, Ana; Sá Silva, José; Brandão, José R; Meireles, LuísUsually occurring entirely intrasellarly or extending suprasellarly (intra-suprasellar), Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) can present with an intrasphenoidal location. Extrasellar positions are rare. To date, only seven patients with intrasphenoidal RCC have been reported in the literature. Despite the rarity of the condition and the lack of pathognomonic radiological features, preoperative diagnosis remains challenging. A trans-sphenoidal approach can be adopted to treat this type of cyst, which has great clinical relevance. Awareness of this different presentation of RCC before respective management may be of value in its approach. Intrasphenoidal RCC should be diagnosed preoperatively and the surgical approach should be changed accordingly by aspiration and partial removal before the histological examination.
- Laryngectomy: Phonation Alternatives and Their Impact on the Quality of LifePublication . Rodrigues, Ana; Sousa, Francisco Alves De; Casanova, Maria J; Silva, Ana; Feliciano, Telma; Freitas, Susana Vaz; Pinto, Ricardo; Lino, JoãoBackground The decision to consent to surgery is a life-changing moment. This study addresses the impact of total laryngectomy (TL) on phonation and its effect on the quality of life (QoL) of patients. The primary objective of this cohort study is to compare the alternatives in phonation rehabilitation, and the secondary objective is to identify concurrent predictors of vocal outcomes. Methodology To perform a comprehensive analysis, we reviewed data from patients who underwent TL with bilateral radical neck dissection in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António between January 2010 and October 2022. Adult patients who consented to participate in the study and underwent subjective evaluation were included in this study. Data regarding clinical history was primarily collected. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Different types of vocal rehabilitation formed the subgroups to be compared. An additional analysis was performed for baseline variables collected in the clinical records, and vocal outcomes were measured using the Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences After Laryngectomy (SECEL) questionnaire. Furthermore, linear models taking SECEL scores as the outcome were developed. Results The first search identified a total of 124 patients operated during the study period. In total, 63 patients were alive at the time of the current follow-up, with 61 deaths (49%). Overall, 26 of the 63 alive patients completed the SECEL questionnaire. All patients were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 62.2 ± 10.6 years. The mean age at the time of subjective vocal assessment with the SECEL questionnaire was 66.3 ± 10.4 years. The mean time of follow-up after the initial diagnosis was 4 ± 3.8 years. A statistically significant difference was observed in esophageal speech (ES), which was inferior to other modalities (mean SECEL total score for ES: 46.6 ± 12.2 vs. mean SECEL total score for all other modalities: 33 ± 15.1; p = 0.03). The follow-up time correlated significantly with vocal function, as measured by the SECEL questionnaire (p = 0.013). Conclusions The SECEL questionnaire can be a valuable tool to evaluate QoL in laryngectomy patients, given its usefulness in assessing the psychological impact derived from vocal functionality in this group. ES appears inferior to other modalities regarding voice-related QoL.
- Nasal Polyposis and Serum Albumin: Systemic Effects of Local InflammationPublication . Sousa-Machado, André; Rosa, Francisco; Silva, Ana; Meireles, LuisIntroduction The genesis of chronic rhinosinusitis is always a topic of debate. A polyp is a pale, edematous tissue emerging mostly from the middle meatus. An epithelial injury caused by continuous inflammation of the nasal mucosa is considered to be a possible cause of the genesis of nasosinusal polyps. Objective To understand the link between serum albumin levels and nasal polyposis. Methods A retrospective study of 180 consecutive patients between January 2016 and January 2020 at our center. We then divided the patients into three age- and gender-matched groups: 60 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, 60 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis, and a control group with 60 patients. No patient had a history of any pathology that could alter serum albumin. We then compared the level of serum albumin between the three groups. Results The group of patients with rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis consisted of 60 patients with a serum albumin value of 4.49 ± 0.29 g/dL, whereas in the control group, the serum albumin value was 4.67 ± 0.2 g/dL. We found a significant difference between the group with nasal polyposis and the other two groups evaluated: chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis (p<0.001) and the control group (p<0.001). Conclusions Lower levels of serum albumin can be seen in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis. Further studies should aim to apply its value since it is a non-expensive marker, to the follow-up of those patients or even to stratify them according to their endotype.
- Visual Analog Scale and Olfactory Objective Tests in Hyposmia Patients: Is There a Link?Publication . Sousa-Machado, André; Sousa, Francisco Alves de; Silva, Ana; Meireles, LuísIntroduction Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is often a devaluated sensorial affection. The objective evaluation of this dysfunction does not evaluate its compromise in patients' daily life. It is unclear to what extent there is a correlation between the objective evaluation of OD and patient-reported impairment. Objective We aim to search if Sniffin Sticks® correlates with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of Hyposmia Symptoms, and therefore if it is a useful method for clinical use. Methods A prospective study was carried out to evaluate and compare consecutive patients who had olfactory impairment due to COVID-19 that were referred to an otolaryngology office. The variables evaluated were gender, age, co-morbidities, and olfactory thresholds (measured according to Sniffin Sticks®). Patients were also enquired about their sense of impairment according to VAS from 1 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics 26). Normal distribution was checked using both skewness and kurtosis and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Pearson correlation test was used to seek a correlation between VAS and olfactory thresholds. All reported p-values are two-tailed, with a p-value ≤ 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results Our sample of 47 patients was composed of 30 females (63.8%) and 17 females (36.2%). We found a mean variation between olfactory thresholds before and after the intervention of 3.91±2.466, and an average improvement of 2.29±2.93 in the visual analog scale for subjective evaluation of olfactory impairment. According to the Pearson correlation test, with 95% confidence, there is evidence to claim a moderate association (0.512) between an improvement in olfactory thresholds and VAS (p=0.05). Conclusions There was a moderate correlation between ratings and measures of olfactory function. On an individual basis, there were remarkable differences between measures and ratings of olfactory function. VAS should be considered in the evaluation of the hyposmic patient, due to its simplicity and quick applicability.