slough in the fossae of the pediatric Coblation group. There was no difference in reactionary hemorrhage rates, but sec- ondary hemorrhage rates were significantly lower in the Co- blation patients, taken as a whole and separated into adult and pediatric groups. Conclusions: Coblation tonsillectomy has significant ad- vantages over conventional methods in terms of postoperative morbidity and hemorrhage rates, which could merit its con- sideration as the method of choice. 10:08 AM Fusaric Acid: A Novel Agent and Mechanism to Treat HNSCC Brendan C Stack Jr MD (presenter); J Paul Hansen; James Ruda BS; Joseph Shvidler; J Albert Fernandez-Pol MD Hershey PA; Hershey PA; Hershey PA; Hershey PA; Chesterfield MO Objectives: Morbidity and mortality for head and neck squamous cell (HNSCC) carcinoma have remained stagnant for decades in spite of surgical, radiotherapy, and chemother- apeutic innovations. An increased understanding of cell cycle physiology and many pathways of programmed cell death has led to the discovery of many new promising agents for chemotherapy. A new class of physiologically present car- boxylic acids has tumorocidal activity for HNSCC: Picolinic acid, a tryptophan derivative, and its metabolite fusaric acid, a product of the fungus Fusarium. Fusaric acid (FA) can chelate divalent cations, especially zinc, and inactivate zinc finger proteins (ZFP) involved in DNA repair and protein synthesis. Methods: Cal-27 and SCC-1 squamous cell carcinoma lines were utilized for in vitro and in vivo portions of this study. Cell counting, flow cytometry, and Western analysis were used to analyze cells in culture over 96 hours of treat- ment. All experiments were done in triplicate. HNSCC sub- cutaneous implants were created on treatment and control groups of balb-c nude mice (N = 30) housed in sterile isolettes for 6 weeks. Results: In vitro studies demonstrated statistically signif- icant changes in cell numbers, cell cycle analysis, and ZFP production by Western blotting in the FA treatment arm. In vivo studies of balb-c nude mice treated with subcutaneous HNSCC implants and daily intralesional therapy for a month also showed statistically reduced onset of growth and overall growth compared to controls. Conclusions: FA appears to have a tumoristatic/tomori- cidal effect on HNSCC. Further nude mice studies need to be performed to optimize dosing and administration regimens (including possible continuous infusion) for FA in hopes of preparing for phase I/II clinical trials. 10:16 AM Elective Neck Dissection versus Observation in the Treatment of Primary Parotid Carcinomas Peter Zbaren MD (presenter); Jonas Schupbach MD Bern Switzerland; Bern Switzerland Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of selective neck dissection in the clinically NO neck in primary parotid car- cinoma. Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken on 84 previously untreated patients with primary parotid carcinomas. In 43 patients a selective neck dissection was included in the treatment protocol; in 41 patients, no selective neck dissection was performed. No significant imbalance was found between groups with respect to demographic, clinical, and pathological variables. The recurrences and survival rates are compared. Results: The false-negative rate was 19%. There were 7 neck recurrences of which only 1 occurred in the neck dissection group. The 5-year actuarial and disease-free survival was 80% and 77% in the neck dissection group and 75% and 68% in the non-neck dissection group, respectively. The regional recurrence related mortality was 2.3% and 7.3% in the neck dissection and the non-neck dissection groups, respectively. Conclusions: Regional recurrence was less often encoun- tered in the neck dissection group. A selective neck dissec- tion, furthermore, has long-term survival benefit, and the regional recurrence–related mortality was reduced after se- lective neck dissection. Room OCCC 202 • Scientific Session: Otology/Neurotology Colin LW Driscoll MD; William Slattery III MD (moderators) 9:30 AM Satisfaction and Gender Issues in Otolaryngology Residency Rhoda Wynn MD (presenter); Richard M Rosenfeld MD MPH; Frank E Lucente MD Brooklyn NY; Brooklyn NY; Brooklyn NY Objectives: To evaluate the otolaryngology residency ex- perience as perceived by otolaryngology residents with spe- cial attention to operative experience and career guidance. Methods: The resident membership of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery was anonymously surveyed by mail. The 22-item survey scores the perceptions of their operative experience, career issues, and overall experience on a five-point ordinal Likert scale. Results were analyzed with respect to gender and post-grad- uate year (PGY) level. Results: Complete surveys were returned by 261 otolar- yngology residents (24% female) with a mean age of 31 years (range, 26-50) and median PGY level of 4 (range, 2-7). PGY MONDAY Otolaryngology– Head and Neck Surgery Volume 129 Number 2 Scientific Session—Monday P79