Management of Thyroglossal Cyst in Adults: A Single-Institution Experience.

OBJECTIVES: Thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) is the most common congenital anterior neck mass in clinical practice. Due to its congenital origin, presentation in adulthood is uncommon with only 7% of cases presenting in this age group. Data are therefore limited on the management of TDC in adults, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study describes the pattern of the presentation and treatment outcomes, following the management of TDC in a series of adults in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of all adult patients with TDCs over a 5-year period was carried out. Sociodemographic data, operative details, and postoperative outcomes were obtained and presented as descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Seven adult patients, including five males and two females, were managed during the period. Their ages ranged from 19 to 60 years, with a mean of 37 ± 16.4 years. All the patients presented with anterior neck swellings which had been present for a median duration of 3 years. Cysts were located in the infrahyoid position in all instances, and all had Sistrunk operation over a mean operative time of 78 ± 16 min. There were no intraoperative complications. The mean duration of the postoperative stay was 2 days. There was no recurrence after a median follow-up period of 15 months. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the rarity of TDC in adults and describes a single institution's experience with the management of adult cases of TDC using the classical Sistrunk operation.

Correlation between adenoidal nasopharyngeal ratio and symptoms of enlarged adenoids in children with adenoidal hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Adenoid hypertrophy is one of the most common health problems affecting the paediatric population. This study aims to correlate adenoidal nasopharyngeal ratio (ANR) with symptoms of enlarged adenoids in children with enlarged adenoids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a year, cross-sectional, hospital-based study conducted at Lautech Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. ANR was determined by dividing adenoidal depth with nasopharyngeal depth on the plain lateral radiographs. RESULTS: A total of 90 consecutive children consisting of 61 males and 29 females were included in the study with M:F ratio of 2.1:1. Their ages ranged from 8 months to 11 years. All the patients presented with nasal obstruction, mouth breathing and noisy breathing. Majority (64.5%) had severe obstructions with preponderance among children of 3-5 years (39.9%). Linear regression analysis showed significant association between age and ANR (t = 10.447, P < 0.001). There was high significant association (P < 0.05) between presenting symptoms and degree of nasopharyngeal airway obstruction; for snoring (r = 0.251, P = 0.000), sleep apnoea (r = 0.594, P = 0.000), nasal discharge (r = 0.314, P = 0.001), excessive daytime sleepiness (r = 0.219, P = 0.019) and failure to thrive (r = 0.240, P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Lateral X-ray of the nasopharynx is an effective tool to evaluate children with suspected adenoid hypertrophy. It correlates well with patients' symptoms and provides objective measures of adenoid hypertrophy.

Characterization of colonizing Staphylococcus aureus isolated from surgical wards' patients in a Nigerian university hospital.

In contrast to developed countries, only limited data on the prevalence, resistance and clonal structure of Staphylococcus aureus are available for African countries. Since S. aureus carriage is a risk factor for postoperative wound infection, patients who had been hospitalized in surgical wards in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital were screened for S. aureus carriage. All S. aureus isolates were genotyped (spa, agr) and assigned to multilocus sequence types (MLST). Species affiliation, methicillin-resistance, and the possession of pyrogenic toxin superantigens (PTSAg), exfoliative toxins (ETs) and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) were analyzed. Of 192 patients screened, the S. aureus carrier rate was 31.8 % (n = 61). Of these isolates, 7 (11.5%) were methicillin-resistant (MRSA). The isolates comprised 24 spa types. The most frequent spa types were t064, t084, t311, and t1931, while the most prevalent MLST clonal complexes were CC5 and CC15. The most frequent PTSAg genes detected were seg/sei (41.0%) followed by seb (29.5%), sea (19.7%), seh (14.7%) and sec (11.5). The difference between the possession of classical and newly described PTSAg genes was not significant (63.9% versus 59.0% respectively; P = 0.602). PVL encoding genes were found in 39.3% isolates. All MRSA isolates were PVL negative, SCCmec types I and VI in MLST CC 5 and CC 30, respectively. Typing of the accessory gene regulator (agr) showed the following distribution: agr group 1 (n = 20), group II (n = 17), group III (n = 14) and group IV (n = 10). Compared to European data, enterotoxin gene seb and PVL-encoding genes were more prevalent in Nigerian methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates, which may therefore act as potential reservoir for PVL and PTSAg genes.

The role of human immunodeficiency virus infection in infranuclear facial paralysis.

BACKGROUND: This study describes the pattern of idiopathic infranuclear facial palsy (facial neuropathy) and highlights the role of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS in its occurrence and management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, assessed individuals with idiopathic facial neuropathy seen at the neurology; maxillofacial surgery; and ear, nose and throat outpatient clinics between 1994 and 2006. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients with idiopathic facial neuropathy were seen during the 13-year study period. Forty-six (52.3%) were males, and the age range was 15 to 76 years, with a median of 35.5 years and interquartile range of 24.5 to 54 years. The right side was affected in 59.1%, compared with 40.9% on the left side. Twenty-six patients (29.5%) were HIV positive at presentation: 16 males, 10 females; mean age for HIV-positive patients was 29.15 +/- 8.12 years and 44.39 +/- 18.48 years for HIV-negative patients. There was a significant relationship among the status of the patients and the severity at presentation (p = .035), treatment given (p = .019), and the occurrence of flu-like symptoms (p = .004). CONCLUSION: A high index of suspicion of seroconversion is essential in patients presenting with idiopathic facial neuropathy since it has implications for management. Serological testing for HIV, especially in patients at risk and those with history of recent flu-like symptoms, is recommended.