Vestibular schwannomas in younger patients have been observed to be larger in size and grow more quickly.

This study aimed to evaluate the expression of three important cell cycle proteins, cyclin D1, cyclin D3 and Ki-67, in vestibular schwannoma patients separated into two age groups: ≤40 years or >40 years.

Immunohistochemical detection of cyclin D1, cyclin D3 and Ki-67 was undertaken in 180 surgically resected vestibular schwannomas.

The proliferation index of vestibular schwannomas was statistically higher in the ≤40 years age group compared to that in the >40 years age group (mean of 4.52 vs 3.27, respectively; p = 0.01). Overexpression of cyclin D1 and cyclin D3 was found in 68 per cent and 44 per cent of tumours, respectively.

There was an increased Ki-67 proliferation index in the younger age group that appears to correlate with clinical behaviour. Vestibular schwannomas in both age groups show increased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin D3.

To determine whether the use of tissue spears to remove otorrhoea from Aboriginal children's ear canals improves hearing in the affected ear.

Case series study with controls.

The study comprised 61 Aboriginal children from communities in the remote arid zone of South Australia who had otorrhoea obscuring the tympanic membrane in 1 or both ears. Eighty ears were treated with tissue spears, and hearing was assessed before and after treatment.

Forty-two children had unilateral and 19 had bilateral active disease. An additional 13 ears without otorrhoea served as controls. Improvement by 5 dB HL or greater in a four-frequency pure tone average occurred in 41.3 per cent of treated ears. Subsequently, blinded audiologists made qualitative judgements that a functional improvement in hearing had occurred after tissue spear use in 28.4 per cent of ears.

Tissue spears can improve hearing thresholds in a significant proportion of children with otorrhoea. However, the duration of the effect is unknown.

To evaluate our results in treating Zenker's diverticulum via the transcervical approach, and to compare our experiences with a recent systematic review of both open and endoscopic approaches to the pharyngeal pouch.

An audit yielded 41 consecutive cases of Zenker's diverticulum treated between 2003 and 2013.

All 41 patients underwent transcervical cricopharyngeal myotomy; 29 sacs also required ‘inversion’. The median and mean length of hospital stay was 1 night and 2.5 nights respectively. The recurrence rate was 2.4 per cent and the complication rate was 9.8 per cent.

When compared to reported endoscopic techniques, transcervical cricopharyngeal myotomy (with or without inversion) in our unit resulted in: shorter hospital stay, a comparable complication rate and fewer recurrences.

There has been increasing emphasis on performing ‘same-day’ or ‘out-patient’ thyroidectomy to reduce associated costs. However, acceptance has been limited by the risk of potentially life-threatening post-operative bleeding. This study aimed to review current rates of post-operative bleeding in a metropolitan teaching hospital and identify risk factors.

Medical records of patients undergoing thyroidectomy between January 2007 and March 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Pre-operative, operative and pathological data, and post-operative complication data, were examined.

The study comprised 205 thyroidectomy cases. Mean age was 51.6 years (standard deviation = 14.74), with 80 per cent females. Unilateral thyroidectomy was performed in 81 cases (39.5 per cent) and total thyroidectomy was performed in 74 cases (36.1 per cent; 5.3 per cent with concomitant lymph node dissection). Nine patients (4.4 per cent) suffered post-operative bleeding, of which six required re-operation. Analysis showed that post-operative systolic blood pressure of 180 mmHg or greater was associated with post-operative bleeding (p = 0.003, chi-square test).

Rates of significant post-operative bleeding are consistent with recent literature. Post-operative hypertension, diabetes and high post-operative drain output were identified as independent risk factors on multivariate analysis; when identified, these may be caveats to same-day discharge of thyroidectomy patients.

Parotid gland tumours are complex neoplasms with a broad histological range. The parotid gland is also a common site of face and scalp skin cancer metastases.

Parotidectomies performed by ENT department in the Gold Coast health district from 2006 to 2013.

A total of 158 specimens were examined. Of these, 53.80 per cent were benign and 46.20 per cent were malignant. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most common tumour (29.11 per cent), followed by cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (23.42 per cent) and Warthin's tumour (12.03 per cent).

Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma accounted for a large proportion of parotid masses in our case series, reflecting the high prevalence of non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia. Primary parotid neoplasms had similar incidence rates to other studies.

The internationally recognised American Joint Committee on Cancer (tumour–node–metastasis) staging system utilises tumour size to determine stage. Other factors (i.e. tumour depth) may provide additional prognostic information.

A thorough retrospective analysis was performed of 68 patients with primary lip squamous cell carcinoma operated on or discussed by the Darling Downs Health Service between 2005 and 2013.

Twelve patients developed lymphatic spread. There was a statistically significant increased risk of nodal metastasis in: patients with tumours of increased thickness (U = 103.50; degrees of freedom = 68; p < 0.001), those with a larger overall tumour size (U = 163.50; degrees of freedom = 68; p = 0.005) and patients living further from the treatment centre (U = 199.00; degrees of freedom = 68; p = 0.018).

It may be reasonable that other factors are considered for staging of lip squamous cell carcinomas, in combination with tumour–node–metastasis staging. Depth of invasion may have utility in prognosis and treatment; however, larger prospective analysis needs to be performed. Patients living in a more rural setting presented with more advanced disease, suggesting an ongoing rural–metropolitan gap in healthcare.