Volume of Mastoid Pneumatization: Three-Dimensional Reconstruction with Ultrahigh-Resolution Computed Tomography

The volume of the mastoid air cell system was measured in 69 patients with normal middle ears. All patients underwent axial ultrahigh-resolution computed tomography. Mastoid pneumatization was marked on each axial slice, and 3-dimensional reconstruction was performed. The volumes were measured with a volumetric algorithm. A polyethylene tubing phantom with a density similar to that of bone on computed tomography was devised. The polyethylene tubing was tied in a particular fashion so as to create interconnecting air spaces with a known volume. The phantom was scanned with the imaging parameters used for scanning the temporal bone. The air in the tubing was marked, and 3-dimensional reconstruction for the marked phantom air was performed. The volume of the interconnecting air spaces was measured and found to be identical to its known volume, thereby verifying the accuracy of the method used. The mean mastoid volume was 6.61 cm3. The smallest volume measured was 1.3 cm3, and the largest was 12.7 cm3. The importance of this technique lies in its high accuracy, ease of use, and ability to directly correlate mastoid size and clinical findings.

[Bilateral vocal cord paralysis due to rheumatoid arthritis]

Cricoarythenoid arthritis can be part of rheumatoid arthritis, which can present with laryngeal symptoms as in other systemic diseases. Bilateral vocal cord paralysis can developed with the progression of cricoarythenoid arthritis and can endanger the patient who suffers from dyspnea and eventually choking. Ankylosis and no mobility of the arythenoids, secondary to chronic inflammatory process in the cricoarythenoid joint, induce in the chronic phase bilateral vocal cord paralysis with symptoms such as stridor, horseness, dyspnea and also pain during speaking and swallowing in the acute phase. The treatment for cricoarythenoid arthritis with bilateral vocal cord paralysis include operations for improvement of breathing and voice. Tracheostomy gives an immediate solution for acute medical condition of dyspnea, resulting from the location of the vocal cords in paramedian or median position, due to their immobility. There are other operations aiming to produce adduction of the vocal cords and widen the glottic inlet and thereby improve the airway condition. The family physician needs to consider the damage and fixation of the vocal cord in patients with advanced arthritis. Patients who have rheumatic arthritis need an otolaryngologic follow-up and periodic laryngoscopic evaluation in order to prevent delayed diagnosis of bilateral vocal cord paralysis which endangers the patient's airway. It is recommended to be examined by an otolaryngologist and also to evaluate the vocal cords as part of the pre-operative evaluation of the anesthesiologist, as performed in the evaluation of the larynx in patients prior to thyroidectomy. This is a case study of a patient who had severe rheumatoid arthritis and developed cricoarythenoid arthritis and bilateral vocal cord paralysis presented with stridor and dyspnea and needed an immediate tracheostomy. Cricoarythenoid arthritis with bilateral vocal cord paralysis including treatments options are discussed.

Early complications of tracheostomy performed in the operating room

Tracheostomy is one of the oldest operations in medicine. The intraoperative and postoperative complications associated with this procedure are well established. Recently, percutaneous and open bedside tracheostomy in the intensive care unit has been reported as an alternative to tracheostomies performed in the operating room. We investigated the early complications in 70 consecutive tracheostomies performed in the operating room in Bnai Zion Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. The study revealed no complications related to patient transportation to and from the operating room. The complication rate of standard surgical tracheostomy performed in the operating room was very low.

Effect of submucosal diathermy in chronic nasal obstruction due to turbinate enlargement

Nasal obstruction is one of the most common chronic presenting symptoms encountered by otolaryngologists. In most patients, the cause of nasal obstruction is either nasal septal deviation or turbinate hypertrophy owing to vasomotor or perennial allergic rhinitis. Most cases of hypertrophic turbinate are usually mild and respond to antihistamine therapy, local decongestions, or allergy desensitization; however, surgery is required in some cases. Surgical treatment is controversial, and many surgical methods of treatment have been proposed. We have recently evaluated the results of our experience with submucosal diathermy (SMD) on 51 patients suffering from chronic nasal obstruction. We have found that diathermy demonstrated good results in 78% of the cases at 2 weeks postoperatively and in 76% of the cases 2 months following the procedure. Patients who had no complaints and had good nasal airflow were not followed-up after 2 months. In the present study, we have carried out a long-term follow-up of another group of patients who had undergone SMD diathermy because of hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates. Patients were examined at 2 months postoperatively and after 1 year, with both subjective and objective assessments of nasal breathing. Two months postoperatively 64 of 91 patients (70.3%) experienced subjective improvement in nasal breathing, where as 73 patients (80.2%) had good nasal breathing as indicated with the Gertner-Podoshin plate. During the follow-up year, secondary operations were deemed necessary for 16 patients because of unsatisfactory results of the original procedure. Of these secondary procedures 4 were revision SMD, 9 patients underwent a septoplasty, in 2 patients functional endoscopic sinus surgery was conducted, and 1 patient had a submucosal turbinectomy. This group of patients was excluded from the 1 year follow-up evaluation. At the 1-year follow-up visit, 65 patients (of the 75) were symptom-free with respect to nasal breathing (86.7%), and 67 patients (89.3%) had good nasal breathing as examined with the Gertner-Podoshin plate. No means were apparent for predicting preoperatively which patients would benefit most from submucosal diathermy. Submucosal diathermy is carried out under local anesthesia and can be implemented as an office procedure. It does not require expensive instrumentation and is a safe, effective procedure for improving nasal breathing in patients with chronic obstructive inferior turbinates, both on a short-term and long-term basis.

Frey syndrome--delayed clinical onset: a case report

Frey syndrome is a disorder characterized by unilateral sweating and flushing of the facial skin in the area of the parotid gland occurring during meals. The syndrome is a sequela of parotidectomy and may follow other surgical, traumatic, and inflammatory injuries of the parotid and submandibular glands and the cervical and upper thoracic portions of the sympathetic trunk. Pathogenesis is based on regeneration of sectioned parasympathetic fibers with inappropriate innervation of cutaneous sweat glands. Various studies have reported the clinical incidence of Frey syndrome after parotidectomy to be as high as 53%. The reported incidence of Frey syndrome in patients not undergoing intraoperative preventive measures is 96% in patients evaluated by means of an iodine-starch test 12 months postoperatively. We present a case in which a patient developed symptoms of Frey syndrome 8(1/2) years after superficial parotidectomy. Although most patients with Frey syndrome have only mild-to-moderate symptoms (only 6% of patients experience severe symptoms), the potential for appearance of Frey syndrome years after the parotidectomy must be discussed with the patient before surgery in the parotid region.

Simple on-line endotracheal cuff pressure relief valve

Ischemic injury of the tracheal mucosa in the endotracheally intubated patient is directly proportional to the tracheal tube cuff pressure. At a cuff pressure of 30 cm H2O, the tracheal mucosal blood flow becomes partially obstructed, and at a pressure of 45 cm H2O, the obstruction to the tracheal mucosal blood becomes total, leading to tracheal mucosal damage and subsequent complications. In our institute, we have developed a simple and very inexpensive method to gauge the cuff pressure. We use a regular 20-mL syringe attached in line with the connector of the endotracheal tube cuff. In this manner, we monitored the intracuff pressure in 120 patients who underwent ear or neck surgery. The syringe was connected to the tube cuff and inflated with 15 mL of air. The syringe was left constantly connected to the cuff. In addition, the cuff pressure was measured with the Mallinckrodt Hi-Lo aneroid pressure gauge at the beginning of surgery and hourly thereafter for the duration of surgery. At the same time, a check for leakage around the cuff was made by auscultation with a stethoscope above the sternal notch. Multiple comparisons between the repetitive intracuff pressure measurements revealed that there were no significant differences in the intracuff pressure values measured at the different times of surgery. These results indicate that there was an adequate venting of the excess intracuff pressure and also that there was no leakage around the cuff.

Inferior turbinectomy versus submucosal diathermy for inferior turbinate hypertrophy

In order to compare and evaluate bilateral inferior turbinectomy (BIT) and submucosal diathermy (SMD), we retrospectively examined these two well-known techniques for treatment of nasal obstruction due to bilateral congestion of the inferior turbinates. One hundred patients with bilateral nasal obstruction were divided into 4 groups according to their nasal airflow patency. Forty-nine patients underwent BIT, and 51 patients underwent SMD. All 100 patients were followed for 2 months after surgery. Patients with difficult postoperative courses were followed up to 1 year after surgery, in order to decide on the necessity of operative revision. Postoperative improvement in nasal breathing after BIT was reported for 96% of patients 2 weeks after surgery, and for 88% 2 months after surgery. Only 1 BIT patient had to undergo revision operation. Diathermy showed good results in 78% of cases 2 weeks after surgery. The efficacy of the procedure was reduced to 76% 2 months after surgery. Twenty percent of SMD patients were advised to undergo operative revision. Postoperative bleeding occurred in 20% of BIT patients and in only 4% of SMD patients. We found that the extent of postoperative improvement does not depend on preoperative conditions; therefore, it is impossible to predict the extent of postoperative improvement on the basis of the results of preoperative assessment. Both procedures can be performed under local anesthesia, are relatively safe and effective, and do not need expensive instrumentation that may not be available in many medical centers.

The anatomic relationship between the second genu of the facial nerve and the incus: a high-resolution computed tomography study

OBJECTIVE

This study defines the three-dimensional location of the posterior-most point of the tympanic segment of the facial nerve (TSFN) relative to the posterior-most point of the short process of the incus, using ultrahigh-resolution computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone.

STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS

Included were patients who had been referred for CT of the temporal bone for various reasons other than suspected pathologic conditions of the middle ear. The decision whether to include a patient in the study was based on the referring physician's referral note for the examination.

INTERVENTION

All of the patients underwent axial CT of the temporal bone, with consecutive slices of 1.1 mm width and 0.5-mm increments.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The posterior-most point of the short process of the incus was identified on axial CT and was superimposed onto a lower axial slice in which the posterior-most point of the TSFN was identified. Its shortest distance to the TSFN was measured. Afterward, the length of the TSFN that remained posterior to the perpendicular of the posterior-most point of the short process of the incus was measured by measuring the length of TSFN that could be seen posterior to the point of bisection of the line marking the shortest distance between the posterior-most point of the short process of the incus and the FN in the previous measurement. The measurements were performed on 30 normal temporal bones.

RESULTS

The shortest distance measured between the posterior-most point of the short process of the incus and the TSFN was, on average, 3.31 mm for all 30 ears (range 2-4.8 mm). The length of TSFN that could be seen posterior to the perpendicular of the most posterior point of the short process of the incus was, on average, 2.70 mm (range 1.80-3.90 mm).

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to defining the spatial location of the posterior-most point of the TSFN, this study also offers a practical method by which the surgeon can evaluate, preoperatively, how far medial to the incus and how much posterior to the posterior-most point of the short process of the incus the facial nerve is located.

Cat-scratch disease of the parotid gland: an often-misdiagnosed entity

A case of cat-scratch disease involving the parotid area in a young adult is presented. Thanks to meticulous history-taking, the correct diagnosis was suggested and later established, thus preventing unnecessary surgery. The pertinent literature is discussed.

Diagnostic and therapeutic management of bilateral carotid artery occlusion caused by near-suicidal hanging

In cases of attempted suicide by hanging, a combination of mechanisms causing local destruction of the pharynx, larynx, vessels, and spine, as well as neurologic complications, has to be considered. We present a case of hanging in which a deeply unconscious patient without any palpaple pulsation of the carotid arteries was referred to our otolaryngology department. Computed tomography and angiography showed parapharyngeal air, complete obstruction of both common carotid arteries, and a compensatory circulation through the vertebral arteries. Three hours after the trauma, surgical exploration with resection of the enrolled intima of both carotid arteries and repair of the pharynx was performed. The patient awoke with an infarct of the right hemisphere with incomplete left hemiparesis the next day, but symptoms slowly declined during the following months, and the patient learned swallowing again perfectly. We conclude from our experience that in near-hanged patients a prompt onset of adequate diagnostic and therapeutic measures is mandatory, as good neurologic and functional results may occur even in cases with coma and severe destruction of the carotid arteries and pharyngeal and laryngeal structures. Surgical repair of blunt carotid lesions is recommended and may be crucial for a good outcome.

Status of intraoperative cytology in the diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioma

Whereas evaluation of the frozen section of a subcutaneous retro-auricular mass was equivocal, the correct diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioma could be suggested on examination of intraoperative cytological smears. It is proposed that in the absence of cytological cues of malignancy and in the presence of the proper clinical setting, the constellation of vascular structures, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and clusters of cuboidal cells with vacuoles in their abundant acidophilic cytoplasm is indicative of epithelioid hemangioma.

Effects of peritonsillar infiltration on post-tonsillectomy pain. A double-blind study

The concept that local infiltration of the operative area with a local anesthetic when using general anesthesia could alleviate postoperative pain is well known. We tested this concept on 129 patients scheduled for elective tonsillectomy. The patients were investigated in a double-blind, randomized study, and the operation was carried out via the standard technique of infiltrating the peritonsillar area preoperatively. The results indicated that preincisional infiltration of the tonsils with bupivacaine hydrochloride markedly decreased the intensity of pain following tonsillectomy, well beyond the immediate postoperative period.

Type I tympanoplasty in children

To identify factors that could influence the success of tympanoplasties in children, a retrospective study was done of 51 tympanoplasties performed on children aged 9-14 years during the years 1984-1989. Surgical success was defined as an intact membrane found after 3 years' follow-up. The success rate of tympanoplasties was 92%. A functioning eustachian tube was found to be important for graft take. No difference was found in the rate of graft take whether fascia of the temporal muscle or tragal perichondrium was used. An audiologic improvement was seen in 70.6% of the patients. We conclude that tympanoplasty in children has a high probability of success and will enable most children operated on to resume a normal lifestyle.

Tympanoplasty in adults: a five-year survey

In order to identify factors that could influence the success of tympanoplasties in adults, a retrospective study of 291 tympanoplasties performed on patients aged 15 years and older during the years 1984-1989 was carried out. Surgical success was defined as an intact membrane after two years follow-up and hearing improvement of at least 15 decibels. The success rate of the tympanoplasties was 90%. A functioning eustachian tube was found to be important for graft take. No difference was found in the rate of graft take regardless of whether fascia of the temporal muscle or tragal perichondrium was used or if fibrin glue was used. An audiological improvement was seen in 77% of the patients, and no significant difference regarding hearing gain was found between the different prostheses. It is concluded that tympanoplasty in adults is a simple operation with a high probability of success which can improve the quality of life of those operated upon.

Tympanoplasty in Adults: A Five-Year Survey

In order to identify factors that could influence the success of tympanoplasties in adults, a retrospective study of 291 tympanoplasties performed on patients aged 15 years and older during the years 1984–1989 was carried out. Surgical success was defined as an intact membrane after two years follow-up and hearing improvement of at least 15 decibels. The success rate of the tympanoplasties was 90%. A functioning eustachian tube was found to be important for graft take. No difference was found in the rate of graft take regardless of whether fascia of the temporal muscle or tragal perichondrium was used or if fibrin glue was used. An audiological improvement was seen in 77% of the patients, and no significant difference regarding hearing gain was found between the different prostheses. It is concluded that tympanoplasty in adults is a simple operation with a high probability of success which can improve the quality of life of those operated upon.

[Chronic otitis media]

Results of middle ear operations performed between 1984-1989 were analyzed. The operations included 139 simple mastoidectomies, 68 radical mastoidectomies, and 41 simple mastoidectomies with tympanoplasty. 342 tympanoplasties were also performed, 51 in children up to 14 years old and 291 in those over 14. We conclude that the Schuller view and CT are not conclusive as to the presence of cholesteatoma, and cannot be relied on without other confirmation in planning the type of operation. Of patients with cholesteatoma who underwent simple mastoidectomy, in 21.1% the cholesteatoma recurred and revision or radical mastoidectomy was necessary. When the Eustachian tube was patent, the graft took in more than 90% of cases. Fibrin glue did not affect the results of tympanoplasty or myringoplasty. Graft take was similar in those under and over the age of 14. Tympanoplasty in children has a good chance of succeeding, and enables most to return to a normal life (including swimming).