Endoscopic septoplasty versus conventional septoplasty for nasal septum deviation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Although conventional septoplasty is widely used to treat nasal septum deviation, it increases morbidity due to poor visualization, poor illumination, the need for nasal packing, and difficulty in evaluating of the exact pathology. These drawbacks are also encountered in endoscopic septoplasty. Our study aimed to compare the treatment and complication outcomes of conventional and endoscopic septoplasty. Methods: The authors searched five electronic databases for relevant clinical trials. The records were screened for eligibility. Data were extracted from the included studies. Outcomes were pooled as risk ratios (RR) or mean differences with 95% CIs using RevMan ver.5.4. Results: Our study included 13 randomized clinical trials with 735 patients. Our analysis revealed that endoscopic septoplasty was significantly (P<0.05) superior to conventional septoplasty for postoperative nasal obstruction relief, intraoperative and postoperative hemorrhage, and mucosal adhesion and synechiae across both long-term and short-term follow-ups. The following pooled RR values were found in short-term follow-up periods: [RR=1.20, 95% CI:=(1.09,1.32)]; [RR=0.27, 95% CI=(0.14,0.54)]; and [RR=0.16, 95% CI=(0.08,0.32)], respectively. Regarding persistent septal deviation and septal tear, endoscopic septoplasty had the upper hand only in short-term follow-up periods [RR=0.30, 95% CI=(0.17,0.53)] and [RR=0.26, 95% CI=(0.15,0.46)], respectively. Conclusion: Our analysis revealed that endoscopic septoplasty was significantly superior to conventional septoplasty in postoperative nasal obstruction relief rate and reducing the risk of intraoperative and postoperative hemorrhage, mucosal adhesion and synechiae, persistent septal deviation, septal tear, and surgery duration.

Pediatric foreign body ingestion in Makkah, Saudi Arabia: A retrospective epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVES: To improve the local data and demographics of foreign body (FB) ingestion in the Makkah, Saudi Arabia and to provide basic statistics for future studies in the local community. METHODS: We carried out a record-based retrospective epidemiological study of 153 pediatric patients with FB ingestion who presented to our center in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, between December 2014 and December 2019. Adult age, impacted FB at other sites, and chemical ingestion were excluded. RESULTS: Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. There has been an alarming increase in the number of children admitted to hospitals following FB ingestion. Approximately 41.8% of these patients were under the age of 4 years, with boys (63.4%) accounting for the majority. Most of the ingested FB were coins (60.8%), and 96.7% of the patients remained under 24 hours of observation at the hospital. The results showed a highly statistically significant relationship between the FB type, age, length of hospital stay, and esophagoscopic findings. CONCLUSION: A large number of children presented with ingested FB, especially those younger than 4 years of age, whose clinical presentation varied from asymptomatic to severe complications, and urgent endoscopic intervention might have decreased serious complications. Further preventive measures are necessary within homes in addition to increasing caregivers' awareness of the different circumstances of FB ingestion and the time required for urgent admission.

Uncommon presentation of isolated laryngeal sarcoidosis in a young man.

•Sarcoidosis is a chronic multisystemic granulomatous disease with unknown etiology.•Sarcoidosis affects the head and neck region in only 10%-15% of cases.•Larynx with turban-like thickening should raise high suspicions of laryngeal sarcoidosis.•Sarcoidosis is diagnosed after laboratory, endoscopic, and histopathology findings exclude other differentials.•Isolated laryngeal sarcoidosis is rare, making early diagnosis challenging and rising misdiagnosis.

Thyroid neoplasm in Makkah region, Saudi Arabia. A retrospective epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVES: To improve our local data and demographics of thyroid neoplasm in Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and provide some basic statistics for future studies in our local community.  Methods: A record based retrospective epidemiological study was conducted and included 314 thyroid disease patients who were presented to our centers at Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between December 2009 and December 2019. Results: A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out. The average age was 42.77 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 3:1, and most of the patients were Saudi (77%). Fifty-seven percent of cases were benign, while in malignant cases, 33.4% were papillary thyroid carcinoma. The mean follow-up time was 15.44 months, with excellent compliance in 39.4% of the patients.   Conclusion: Thyroid tumors have a leading incidence in head and neck tumors in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, mandating further studies to determine the causes and distribution in other regions of the country.

Reconstruction of facial dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans using an anterolateral thigh flap: a case report and literature review.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare, locally aggressive cutaneous malignancy with a high rate of recurrence if the head-and-neck region is involved. Treatment is challenging as it is difficult to avoid poor aesthetic and functional outcomes using the standard approach of complete resection with negative margins and subsequent reconstruction. This is especially challenging in cases where the face is involved and the defect is large after resection. There have been few cases of reconstruction using different flaps reported. We present the case of a young lady with a large cheek tumor, which was reconstructed using an anterolateral thigh flap. Excellent functional and aesthetic outcomes were achieved.

Comparison of performance of medical students between two teaching modalities "Flip the classroom" and traditional lectures: A single center educational interventional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the students' performance in Obstetrics and Gynecology by using two teaching modalities, i.e., Flip the classroom (FTC) compared to Traditional lectures (TL) among final year medical students and assessment of the students' satisfaction towards FTC as learning modality. METHODS: An educational interventional study was conducted on 136 females final year medical students at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia from September to December; 2017. Out of 40 core topics of Obstetrics and Gynecology, eight were chosen for FTC and eight for TL. The performance in each teaching modality was assessed by comparing the score of the students in multiple choice question (MCQ) and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in the final examination. The final performance was compared between the FTC and TL selected topics. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: MCQ and OSCE grades of students (n=136) were significantly higher in FTC versus TL topics, i.e., mean ± standard deviation (13.4 ± 2.7 vs. 12.3 ± 2.4; p < 0.001) and (33.9 ± 4.3 vs. 30.4 ± 4.7; p < 0.001), respectively. Almost 60% of the students expressed their satisfaction with FTC modality. CONCLUSION: Scores were significantly high for Flip the classroom topics compared to Traditional lectures.