Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
Volume:31 Issue: 5, Sep-Oct 2019

The eradication of the middle ear disease is mentioned as the fundamental principle of tympanoplasty. The presence of some factors related to patient or disease itself forces the physician to classify the chronic ear disease as high-risk perforations. The aim of this study was to present a tri-layer tympanoplasty technique and its otological and audiological outcomes in the ears with high-risk perforations.   This retrospective study was carried out on a total of 46 eligible ears that had chronic otitis media with high-risk perforations. Preoperatively, 17, 15, and 14 ears were reported with Sade classification grade 4 pars tensa retraction (Group 1), total or near-total tympanic membrane perforation (Group 2), and a history of ear surgery (Group 3), respectively. All the cases had tympanoplasty using the tri-layer technique at a tertiary center during 2008 and 2014. A review of the patients’ chart showed that 46 patients underwent tri-layer tympanoplasty. Regarding the audiological outcomes, the comparison of pre- and post-operative results revealed mean air conduction level and mean air-bone gap (ABG) of 4 different frequencies in dB according to a new standardized format for reporting hearing outcome in clinical trials.   The mean value of the follow-up period was reported as 29.22±3.23 months. Graft take rate was 93.4 % in all the cases, as well as 94.1%, 100%, and 85.7% in Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3, respectively. The mean values of ABG were improved from 35.17±6.64 to 23.52±10.4, 30.46±5.89 to 17.20±8.04, and 29.14±8.37 to 16.14±5.02 dB in Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3, respectively (P<0.05).   Tri-layer tympanoplasty is a reliable procedure in the surgical treatment of the chronic otitis media with high-risk re-perforations.

Auricular seroma is a benign condition of the pinna usually following blunt trauma. This condition which presents with a simple swelling of the pinna is occasionally associated with pain and may result in permanent disfigurement of the pinna owing to delay in diagnosis or mismanagement. Various techniques have been proposed and practiced over the years to treat this uncomplicated condition. However, since this condition is notorious for its recurrence, it has always posed a challenge to the ear, nose, and throat surgeons. Therefore, a simple technique known as aspiration and intralesional steroid injection was proposed in this study for the treatment of auricular seroma.   A total of 30 patients with a clinical diagnosis of auricular seroma were studied over a period of six years at a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore, India. The seroma was aspirated with a 22 gauge needle followed by intralesional injection of Triamcinolone acetate (40 mg/1 ml). The patients were followed up strictly for two weeks, one, three, and six months, as well as one year, and thereafter at yearly intervals as long as possible. No recurrence was observed as the main outcome of treatment for at least one year.   None of our patients had recurrence at the end of one year. In total, 15 patients followed up for at least two years. In addition, four patients are continuing follow-ups at the moment (i.e. six years post-treatment).   Aspiration and intralesional steroid injection is a simple, minimally invasive, cost-effective, and a promising treatment modality which avoids recurrence.

Exposure to hazardous noise induces one of the forms of acquired and preventable hearing loss that is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Considering oxidative stress as the main mechanism of NIHL, it is possible that myricetin can protect NIHL by its antioxidant effect. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the preventive effect of myricetin on NIHL.   A total of 21 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely (1) noise exposure only as control group, (2) noise exposure with the vehicle of myricetin as solvent group, (3) noise exposure with myricetin 5 mg/kg as myricetin 5 mg group, (4) noise exposure with myricetin 10 mg/kg as myricetin 10 mg group, (5) and non-exposed as sham group. The hearing status of each animal was assessed by Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions.   The levels of response amplitude decreased after the exposure to noise in all groups and returned to a higher level after 14 days of noise abstinence at most frequencies; however, the difference was not significant in the myricetin-receiving or control groups.   The results of this study showed that two doses of myricetin (5 and 10 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally could not significantly decrease transient or permanent threshold shifts in rats exposed to loud noise.

Blood loss is a common concern during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine (DEX) in intraoperative bleeding and surgical field in FESS.   This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 72 patients within the age range of 16-60 years who underwent FESS. The subjects were randomly dividedinto two groups. The DEXgroup received 1 mic/kg DEX in 10 min at anesthesia induction followed by 0.4 to 0.8 mic/kg/hour during maintenance, while the control group received normal saline instead of DEX in bolus with the same volumemaintenance. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure (DBP),mean arterial pressure (MAP),and opioid requirement were evaluated in the 15th, 30th, 60th, and 90thmin of the induction. The surgeon's assessment of the field during surgery and intraoperative bleeding was also recorded in this study.   The DEX group had lower bleeding scores (P=0.001) than the control group.Surgeon's satisfaction based on a Likert scale (P=0.001) was lower in the control group. The mean of DBP was lower in the DEX group in the 30th(P=0.001), 60th(P=0.001), and 90th(P=0.01) min of the induction. The MAP was lower in the DEX group in the 30th(P=0.015), 60th(P=0.052), and 90th(P=0.046) min of the induction. There were no postoperative adverse effects in the DEX group.   It was observed that DEX improves the quality of the surgical field and hemodynamic stability. In addition, DEX might be safely and effectively used in surgeries in which deliberate hypotension is desirable.

The role of the anatomical variations and severity of acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) in the development of ARS complications is still an unknown issue. Regarding this, the present study evaluated the relationship between the severity of ARS and anatomical nasal variations in pediatric patients with ARS-related orbital complications.   This study was conducted on 134 pediatric patients with orbital complications related to ARS. The data related to patients’ demographics, complication types, and involved side were collected. Nasal sides were also compared in terms of the Lund-Mackay score (LMS), osteomeatal complex (OMC) obstruction, Keros classification, presence of agger nasi cells (AGC), concha bullosa, Haller cells, Onodi cells, septal deviation, and lower turbinate hypertrophy.   The comparison of LMSs indicated a significant difference between the complicated and contralateral sides (8.37±2.44 vs. 5.62±2.71; P<0.0001). In addition, there was a significant difference between the complicated and contralateral sides in terms of the OMC scores (P<0.0001). The rates of lower turbinate hypertrophy and AGC on the complicated side were higher than those on the contralateral side (P=0.021 and P<0.00; respectively).   As the results indicated, anatomical variability in adjacent structures affects the development of ARS-related orbital complications in pediatric patients.

Patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) suffer from several physical discomforts in their vocal tract. However, few studies have examined the effects of voice therapy (VT) on the vocal tract discomfort (VTD) in patients with voice disorders. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of VT on the VTD in patients with MTD.   This study was carried out on 25 subjects with MTD, including 5 men and 20 women, with the mean age of 37.20±5.70 years. The participants underwent 10 consecutive sessions of VT twice a week. The acoustic voice analysis, auditory-perceptual assessment, and the Persian version of the vocal tract discomfort (VTDp) scale were used to compare the pre- and post-treatment results.   After VT, significant improvements were observed in the acoustic characteristics, including jitter, shimmer, and harmonics-to-noise ratio (P<0.05). Regarding the auditory-perceptual assessment, a significant reduction was noticed in the overall severity, roughness, and breathiness (P<0.05). Moreover, VT led to a significant reduction in all the items of the VTDp, including burn, tightness, dryness, pain, tickling, soreness, irritability, and lump in the throat, after VT in both frequency and severity sections of the VTDp scale (P<0.05).   The results of the present study showed that VT can be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of the VTD in patients with MTD in addition to improving voice quality.

Acute facial nerve palsy secondary to neuroendocrine adenoma of the middle ear (NAME) is a rare disorder. There is only one case report in the literature describing similar findings.   Case Report: A 50-year-old man initially presented to ENT clinic with a right-sided middle ear mass and normal facial nerve function. Over the next six days, he developed House-Brackmann grade II facial paralysis. He underwent urgent surgical exploration of the tympanic cavity and excision of the middle ear mass via a post-auricular approach. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis revealed NAME. Three weeks after the surgery, facial nerve function returned to normal. No recurrence was found at a 3-year follow-up.   Acute onset facial palsy induced by NAME is an extremely rare disorder. For a patient already affected by hearing impairment resulted from middle ear mass, facial weakness can have a significant additional detrimental impact on their wellbeing. The early complete excision of tumor is recommended not only as a curative treatment but also restoration of facial function.

The incidence of cholesteatoma occurring as a result of tympanoplasty is extremely rare. Understanding the cause and preventing its occurrence in the future is the main intention of highlighting this peculiar presentation.   Case Report: A 25-year-old woman presented with progressive hearing loss and blocked sensation in the left ear of one and a half months duration. Past history revealed a history of left myringoplasty six years prior to presentation. Clinical examination of the ear revealed a smooth, soft epithelium covered bulge in the lateral one-third of the floor and posterior wall of the left external auditory canal. HRCT and MRI of the temporal bone confirmed the presence of a soft tissue density in the mastoid. Pure tone audiometry revealed conductive hearing loss. She underwent mastoid exploration, removal of sac with soft wall reconstruction.   Proper placement of the vascular strip with the skin lining the external auditory canal with approximation of the incision margins is essential to prevent iatrogenic cholesteatoma formation. Close follow-up is essential to prevent any recurrence and diffusion weighted MRI plays a vital role in detection of recurrence.

Introduction Parotid gland squamous cell carcinoma is an uncommon aggressive neoplasm with poor prognosis. Aural polyps are usually the presenting features of chronic suppurative otitis media, tuberculous otitis media, and adenoma or carcinoma. The malignant aural polyp is very rare. Parotid gland carcinoma masquerading as an aural polyp has rarely been described in the literature.   Case Report: We report a case study of parotid squamous cell carcinoma in a 29-year-old male masquerading as an ear polyp.   Parotid gland primary squamous cell carcinoma is a rapidly advancing neoplasm which carries poor prognosis despite multimodality treatment. Diligent clinical and histopathological evaluation is imperative to discriminate this rare aggressive disease from the metastatic and other primary cancers of the parotid. A high index of suspicion is crucial in refractory aural polyps to arrive at early diagnosis.

Primary tuberculosis (TB) of the oropharynx and nasopharynx is an extremely rare form of extra-pulmonary TB in children. Primary tuberculosis occurs more likely secondary to pulmonary TB and is more common in immunocompromised patients.   Case Report: We reported the case of a young male presented with the symptoms of non-specific chronic adenotonsillitis, mild obstructive sleep apnoea, and cervical lymphadenopathy. Subsequently, he underwent adenotonsillectomy and excision of the cervical lymph node with the tissue specimens came back strongly positive for TB. Then, he started using antituberculous medication and recovered well.   The authors would like to highlight this rare clinical entity in which accurate diagnosis is essential for complete treatment.

Rhinophyma is an uncommon subtype of rosacea, the clinical diagnosis of which is straightforward. However, localized, especially well-circumscribed,  rhinophyma is a very rare condition, which requires a paraclinical assessment to be accurately diagnosed.   Case Report: We report a 48-year-old male patient who presented with a well-circumscribed and dark red tumoral mass of 28 mm in diameter and smooth consistency in the right nasal ala. The patient had no former and concomitant characteristic skin lesions on the other part of his face. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry assessments documented the diagnosis of rhinophyma.  

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of well-circumscribed localized rhinophyma. This lesion can be treated by CO2 laser in a fast and efficient manner with esthetically satisfactory outcome and no significant complications.

When dealing with maxillary sinus pathology, some areas of the sinus remain difficult to examine. In this regard, the pre-lacrimal approach is a minimally invasive technique to reach anterolateral areas of the maxillary sinus while preserving the physiological nasal function.  

The present study aimed to provide technical hints related to pre-lacrimal approach acquired through a large number of performed procedures.  

According to the results, the mucosa incision was performed more anteriorly than the osteotomy using the proposed surgical variant. Moreover, this procedure prevented post-operative annoying symptoms related to the possible presence of an inferior meatotomy.  

The pre-lacrimal approach to the maxillary sinus should be considered as a part of the surgical armamentarium to address the maxillary sinus.