Patients who present with a unilateral non-tender bony swelling in the mastoid region without any clinical evidence of middle ear infection could be diagnosed as having a fibrous or bony lesion affecting the temporal bone. In such cases, if there is radiological evidence of large lucent area in the mastoid antrum without any bony dehiscence one should keep in mind in the differential diagnosis a mega antrum in addition to congenital cholesteatoma and eosinophilic granuloma. A large lytic lesion in the mastoid segment of the temporal bone with an intact tympanic membrane therefore presents a diagnostic dilemma. A case of an unusually large mastoid antrum in an young adult with no middle ear suppuration and a cosmetically unacceptable swelling behind the ear is presented.

Cervical cystic metastases are uncommon, originating predominantly from an oropharyngeal primary. Pre-operative differentiation from a branchial cyst can prove difficult. Three cases which presented clinically as branchial cysts but were subsequently found to be cystic metastases are described, and the literature is reviewed. Endoscopy, ipsilateral tonsillectomy and blind biopsies of Waldeyer's ring, combined with excision of the cervical lesion are recommended in patients over 40 years old.

Two cases of chondrosarcoma of the hyoid bone are described. They were managed with surgical resection and postoperative radiotherapy. These patients are disease free at 26 months and 15 months respectively.

The authors describe a patient with a cervical cystic mass present for 14 years which proved to be a cystic metastasis from apapillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland. This is probably the first case report of a long-term lateral cervical cyst caused by an occult thyroid carcinoma.

Only one case of osteomyelitis of the cervical spine following laryngectomy for carcinoma of the larynx has been reported in the literature to date. We report an unusual case of osteomyelitis of the cervical spine following treatment of laryngeal carcinoma by radiotherapy (RT) and subsequent laryngectomy and discuss the relevant literature.

A case of carcinosarcoma of the larynx and pyriform sinus with sarcomatous and epithelial malignant components is described in a 68-year-old male. The primary site was composed of spindle-shaped malignant mesenchymal cells with osteosarcomatous and chondrosarcomatous differentiation intermingled with areas of well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, tubular and papillary adenocarcinoma, and trabecular neuroendocrine carcinoma. The metastatic lymph node showed squamous cell carcinoma and chondrosarcoma. Immunohistochemical studies showed that keratin was present in epithelial cells and negative in sarcoma, whereas vimentin and S-100 protein were present in sarcoma, but negative in carcinoma. Neuron-specific enolase was present in the neuroendocrine part of the tumour.

We are reporting four cases of clear cell neoplasm. Local infiltration and destruction was observed in one case while in a second case, originating in the sublingual gland, metastasis to the lymph nodes occurred. The behaviour of these neoplasms has prompted the suggestion that these tumours be designated carcinomas rather that noncommittally tumours or neoplasms (Batsakis and Regezzi, 1977).

The histopathological characteristics of our four cases conform to those that have been articulated and believed to be the distinctive features of these tumours (Batsakis and Regezzi, 1977). It is hoped that ours and similar reports will be helpful towards clearing the diagnostic and taxonomic confusion regarding these tumours.

We describe a case of myasthenia gravis in a 46-year-old man presenting as acute stridor with bilateral abductor paralysis of the vocal folds. Prompt diagnosis and medical treatment with pyridostigmine avoided the need for tracheostomy. It is important to remember the possibility of myasthenia gravis in cases of stridor due to bilateral vocal fold paralysis, since effective medical treatment is available.

Impaction of a foreign body in the oesophagus is common in children. If the event is not witnessed by an adult or the object is radiolucent the diagnosis is difficult as respiratory symptoms may predominate. We report a three-week-old child with respiratory symptoms who had both a respiratory syncytial virus infection and a radio-lucent oesophageal foreign body. This case is the youngest yet reported and serves as a reminder of the difficulties in the diagnosis of this important condition.

A case of bilateral paralysis of the soft palate occurring in a 42-year-old patient is presented.

Idiopathic paralysis of the soft palate as an isolated clinical entity was first described by Edin et al. 1976. Since then 22 similar cases have been reported, all in children and all unilateral.

A search of the English language literature has not revealed a case of bilateral palatal palsy in an adult.

Basaloid-squamous carcinoma is a recently characterized, aggressive tumour occurring in the hypopharynx, larynx and base of tongue. We report a unique case involving the nasal cavity of a patient with a history of radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, raising the possibilit that basaloid-squamous carcinoma can be radiation-associated.

The purpose of this paper is to focus attention on this rare disorder. Two cases are reported: one involving the neck and the other the nose and paransal sinuses. The treatment of choice is wide surgical excision wherever possible.

Premature cartilaginous calcification and nasal hypoplasia following first trimester exposure to warfarin are known as the Foetal Warfarin Syndrome (FWS). There are over 40 cases reported in the literature, many of which describe breathing and feeding difficulties in the first few months of life. We report a case where a child had had difficulties breathing and feeding in the first months of life. These had been attributed to nasal hypoplasia. After proper ENT assessment the child benefitted from adenoidectomy.

ENT surgeons should be aware of the syndrome as more women of child bearing age are taking warfarin following cardiac surgery and treatment of thromboembolic disease. ENT surgeons may be asked to review these children who often present with airway and feeding problems which have been attributed to nasal hypoplasia.

A case of malignant pleomorphic adenoma of the left parotid gland which metastasized to the kidney and multiple subcutaneous sites is presented. The patient presented as an acute emergency due to spontaneous rupture of the kidney containing metastasis. All the distant metastatic lesions were confined to the right side of the body.

A case of subglottic narrowing caused by an extranodal deposit of sinus histiocytosis in an eight-year-old child with Rosai-Dorfman disease is presented. The airway obstruction was initially managed with a tracheostomy, and then on confirmation of the diagnosis by lymph node biopsy, by excision of the extranodal deposit with a CO2 bronchoscopic laser.

The operation of chondroplastic graft augmentation rhinoplasty was described in a previous paper by the present author. Seventeen months following one such clinically successful operation, the opportunity was taken at a subsequent nasal procedure to remove a small portion of the original graft and submit this to histological examination. The results of this confirm the viability of a graft harvested and implanted by this technique.

We present a case of virus-associated haemophagocytic syndrome following Epstein-Barr virus infection in which a fulminant pseudomonal supraglottitis developed. Increasingly, unusual pathogens have been found in immunocompromised patients. This is the first reported case of pseudomonal supraglottitis.

Necrotizing fascitis (N.F.) is a rare but serious infection of subcutaneous tissues and deep fascia with resulting skin gangrene and septicaemia. It is due to mixed anaerobic and aerobic organisms. It has been reported under a variety of synonyms.

We describe two cases of necrotizing fasciitis of the neck probably secondary to chronic dental infection, one was diagnosed early and the other late with very different outcomes. We highlight the importance of early and aggressive surgical treatment to complement parenteral antibiotics covering both aerobic and anaerobic organisms.

A case of multiple ganglioneuroma arising along the entire length of the cervical sympathetic chain of one side of the neck is described. This is a distinctly unusual site and distribution of the disease and computed tomography proved invaluable to demonstrate its extent, in addition to excluding involvement of more caudal regions.