Out-patient channelled endoscopic local anaesthetic biopsy reduces the time to diagnosis and wider use may improve cancer pathway times. This study aimed to assess the practice of ENT surgeons using channelled local anaesthetic biopsy.

A survey was distributed nationally, containing questions about out-patient local anaesthetic biopsy.

In total, 58 responses were returned; only 12 per cent of respondents (n = 7) used general anaesthetic biopsy. The advantages of local anaesthetic biopsy were: the avoidance of general anaesthetic for patients with poor performance scores (95 per cent, n = 55) and faster cancer pathway times (91 per cent, n = 53). Disadvantages were: clinics running late (29 per cent, n = 17) and complications (24 per cent, n = 14). The main barrier to using local anaesthetic was access to channelled flexible endoscopy (38 per cent, n = 22), with 43 per cent (n = 25) reporting they were not using out-patient channelled endoscopes but would be interested in using them.

Surgeons are interested in using channelled endoscopic local anaesthetic biopsy, but they are limited by access to equipment. Increased use of channelled endoscopes may improve national cancer pathway times and avoid challenging general anaesthetics.

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of granulation tissue after endoscopic carbon dioxide laser surgery for glottic cancer.

This was a retrospective review of 36 patients who underwent endoscopic carbon dioxide laser surgery for T1 and T2 glottic cancer. Post-operative, endoscopic examinations were rated by three blinded otolaryngologists for time to heal and presence of granulation. Patient and surgical factors were compared with time to heal and granulation.

A total of 16 of 36 wounds (44 per cent) developed granulation tissue, and 24 wounds (67 per cent) healed without requiring surgical intervention. A total of 7 of 8 wounds biopsied more than 3.5 months after surgery had persistent cancer versus 1 of 4 wounds biopsied at equal to or less than 3.5 months (85.7 per cent vs 25 per cent; p = 0.03). Biopsy at more than 3.5 months was associated with 28-fold increased odds of cancer in biopsy compared with biopsy at equal to or less than 3.5 months (odds ratio, 28.0; 95 per cent confidence interval, 1.088–373.3).

After carbon dioxide laser surgery for glottic cancer, development of granulation tissue is common. Granulation that persists for more than 3.5 months necessitates biopsy because of increased risk of persistent cancer.

This study aimed to assess the current literature on the safety and impact of in-office biopsy on cancer waiting times as well as review evidence regarding cost-efficacy and patient satisfaction.

A search of Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Prospero, PubMed and Web of Science was conducted for papers relevant to this study. Included articles were quality assessed and critically appraised.

Of 19 741 identified studies, 22 articles were included. Lower costs were consistently reported for in-office biopsy compared with operating room biopsy. Four complications requiring intervention were documented. In-office biopsy is highly tolerated, with a procedure abandonment rate of less than 1 per cent. When compared with operating room biopsy, it is associated with significantly reduced time-to-diagnosis and time-to-treatment initiation. It is linked to improved overall three-year survival.

In-office biopsy is a safe procedure that may help certain patients avoid general anaesthetic. It was shown to significantly reduce time-to-diagnosis and time-to-treatment initiation when compared with operating room biopsy. This may have important implications for oncological outcomes. In-office biopsy requires fewer resources and is likely to be cost-saving five-years following introduction. With high rates of sensitivity and specificity, in-office biopsy should be considered as the first-line procedure to achieve tissue diagnosis.

Sublabial gland biopsy is the ‘gold standard’ in establishing the diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome. Bleeding and nerve damage are complications. Our centre has adopted the use of the chalazion clamp to provide a dry surgical field to address these challenges. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of minor salivary gland harvest rate using this technique.

A retrospective review of all minor salivary gland biopsies was carried out in a single tertiary referral centre over a five-year period.

Forty-one biopsy patients were identified, with a mean age of 56.1 years. There was 100 per cent accuracy in harvest rate in our series. Twelve patients (29 per cent) were positive for primary Sjögren's syndrome. No patients had a complication immediately or at one month follow up.

Dry surgical field sublabial gland biopsy is a safe and highly effective technique in the diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome. Initial results indicate it may provide a higher harvest rate with fewer complications than traditional non-ischaemic techniques.

Serous otitis media is a recognised presentation of Eustachian tube dysfunction secondary to post-nasal space pathology. Post-nasal space biopsies are commonly taken in patients with isolated serous otitis media, despite normal nasendoscopy findings, without robust evidence for doing so. This study examined cases of unilateral serous otitis media with effusion in adults. It is the largest known retrospective study to investigate whether post-nasal space biopsies are indicated in non-endemic regions.

A retrospective analysis was performed of 119 patients who underwent post-nasal space biopsy because of isolated serous otitis media, in a tertiary referral centre, from 2007 to 2017. Endoscopic examination and final histological report findings were reviewed.

Of the 119 patients identified, 6 (5.0 per cent) were found to have abnormal histology. In all six cases, suspicious clinical findings had been noted on nasendoscopic examination prior to biopsy.

Suspicious findings pre-operatively predict sinister pathology. Biopsies are not recommended in cases of adult serous otitis media with normal nasendoscopy findings if no other risk factors exist. A UK-wide retrospective study or prospective study over the next 10 years will help provide the evidence necessary to support this guidance.

Sjögren's syndrome is a rheumatological condition. Diagnosing Sjögren's syndrome can be challenging given the overlapping nature of clinical presentations. Currently, minor salivary gland biopsy is considered the definitive test for diagnosing Sjögren's syndrome. Various surgical techniques have been described, targeting biopsy of minor salivary glands from the lower lip. Identification of minor salivary glands is often difficult because of bleeding. One common complication of minor salivary gland biopsy is lip paraesthesia from iatrogenic sensory nerve injury.

To describe a minor salivary gland biopsy technique in a bloodless operative field using a chalazion ophthalmic clamp under local anaesthesia, and to report our clinical outcomes.

A prospective study was performed on patients who underwent minor salivary gland biopsy using a chalazion ophthalmic clamp between July 2017 and April 2018.

The study included 23 patients. The histopathological reports positively identified minor salivary glands for all patients. In nine cases, the histological findings were positive for Sjögren's syndrome. No lip paraesthesia complications were reported post-operatively.

This technique facilitates a superior yield, ensures adequate sampling of appropriate glands for histopathological analysis, and minimises the complications associated with traditional techniques.

Parapharyngeal space biopsy is an important investigation in the management of parapharyngeal space tumours. These tumours are relatively rare and the surgeon is often faced with a wide range of differential diagnoses. There are several ways to access the parapharyngeal space, with varying degrees of associated morbidity.

This paper describes a seldom used, but a simple and safe, image-guided endoscopic approach to parapharyngeal space biopsy that enables tissue to be obtained transnasally. The procedure is conducted under general anaesthesia using computed tomography image guidance via the LandmarX system, with transnasal access to the parapharyngeal space achieved using a sampling needle.

This procedure is relatively simple, safe and reproducible. It is a less invasive approach to parapharyngeal space biopsy, and one which has been successfully used by the senior author for years without any significant morbidity.

Transnasal image-guided endoscopic aspiration or biopsy of the parapharyngeal space is a novel technique that has not been previously described.

To review our experience with freehand core-needle biopsy in the assessment of unexplained head and neck masses.

A total of 770 patients with head and neck masses (referred over a 22-month period) were evaluated. A retrospective chart review was performed on 53 of those patients who underwent core-needle biopsy for an unexplained mass.

Correct sampling of the target tissue was achieved in all 53 patients (100 per cent) using a freehand core-needle biopsy technique. The diagnostic accuracy for providing adequate tissue samples for histopathological diagnosis was 96 per cent; the test sensitivity was 92 per cent. Four patients (7 per cent) required open surgical biopsy prior to commencing definitive treatment.

Out-patient freehand core-needle biopsy can be carried out safely on select patients with head and neck masses, and provides high quality histopathology specimens with high diagnostic utility.