Over the last century electrocautery has emerged as an imperative adjunct to surgery across the entire range of surgical disciplines. A diathermy machine converts electricity of the main supply (240V; 50 Hz) into high frequency current (>100,000 Hz) to minimize the risk of electrical shocks. In monopolar mode, the current from the diathermy enters the patient through the active electrode and ex...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS A new treatment for acute unilateral vocal-fold paralysis (UVFP) was proposed in which a drug is injected into the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle (PCA) shortly after nerve injury, before the degree of natural recovery is known, to prevent antagonistic synkinetic reinnervation. This concept was tested in a series of canine experiments using vincristine as the blocking agen...

BACKGROUND Parotidectomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures by otorhinolaryngologists. Traditionally dissection is performed with a combination of a steel scalpel and bipolar cautery; however, starting in the early 2000s, the Harmonic scalpel has provided an alternative method for dissection and hemostasis. The purpose of this study is to compare operative time, blood loss, compli...

We describe a new simple and easy technique called the "Hook and roll technique" (HRT) that uses an articulating hook cautery to provide a critical view during single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC). A 2-cm incision is made at the umbilicus to insert three 5-mm trocars or a multichannel port. After dissection of the serosa of the dorsal and ventral sides of the gall bladder, includ...

BACKGROUND Hydrocalix is an uncommon condition that typically is treated with percutaneous dilation of the stenotic infundibulum. Ureteroscopy has the advantage of minimizing invasiveness. METHODS We reviewed our experience with 12 retrograde ureteroscopies for hydrocalix in 10 patients. RESULTS Access to the hydrocalix could not be achieved in one. Of the remaining 11, the original infundi...