Two cases of ischaemic optic neuropathy, which occurred as a complication of oncological neck surgery, are reported. These cases are submitted because of the apparent scarcity in the literature of this complication after head and neck surgery. They are also unusual because they presented with different clinical manifestations of ischaemic optic neuropathy after separate forms of bilateral neck dissection. A literature review identifies a small number of similar cases and risk factors and preventative measures are discussed.

We report a rare case of mediastinal tuberculosis in a child who presented as a possible inhaled foreign body. A 10-month-old girl was admitted with a five-month history of cough, wheeze and problematic feeding, thought initially to be due to asthma. A clinical deterioration and subsequent X-rays suggested an inhaled foreign body. However, at direct laryngotracheobronchoscopy no foreign body was found and subsequent investigations revealed a subcarinal mediastinal mass. She underwent a thoracotomy and excision of the mass, the histological analysis of which revealed it to be of tuberculous origin. When a patient presents with symtoms of upper airway obstruction which are highly suggestive of a foreign body, other causes such as mediastinal tuberculosis must be borne in mind when no foreign body can be found. Although rare, cases of tuberculosis are apparently increasing and the otolaryngolgoist must be aware of its various manifestations and submit specimens for appropriate analysis. We also briefly review mediastinal lymphadenopathy due to tuberculosis.

A case of papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx in a 50-year-old man is reported. The lesion was located in the supraglottic region and grossly presented a characteristic finger-like pattern of growth. The tumour pursued an indolent clinical course, and the patient is well and free of disease after 47 months of follow-up. The present paper recapitulates the macro- and microscopic features of this rare neoplasm and stresses its differential diagnosis with other exophytic squamous cell carcinomas of the region.