Anxiety, Mood, and Personality Disorders in Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

INTRODUCTION: This study presents the current prevalence of anxiety, mood, and personality disorders as well as factors associated with the existence of psychiatric disorders in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). METHODS: The study sample comprised 46 patients with BPPV and 74 control subjects. Anxiety and mood disorders were ascertained via the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition/Clinical Version. Personality disorders were diagnosed via the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM, Revised Third Edition, Personality Disorders. RESULTS: Of the 46 patients, 18 (39.1%) had at least one mood or anxiety disorder and 13 (28.3%) had at least one personality disorder. The most common Axis I and Axis II disorders in the patient group were major depression in 8 (17.4%) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder in 10 (21.7%) patients, respectively. It was found that major depression (p=0.021), generalized anxiety disorder (p=0.026) and obsessive- compulsive personality disorder (p=0.001) were more prevalent in the BPPV group compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that psychiatric disturbances should be carefully checked in patients with BPPV due to the relatively high rate of comorbidity.

Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Retrosigmoid Approach to the Cerebellopontine Angle Using a Novel Surgical Instrument: A Cadaveric Study.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to describe how endoscopes show the neural and vascular structures at the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) through a minimal craniotomy in a well-described anatomic point in the retrosigmoid region and at the same time, evaluate the endoscopic anatomic exposure and maneuverability. We planned to use the new surgical instrument (endoscope cannula), which we designed on fresh frozen cadavers to simulate a real surgical procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The surgical procedure was planned to be performed on 20 sides of 10 fresh cadaver heads. The distance between the asterion and mastoid process was determined, and the midpoint was then marked. From this midpoint, a craniotomy 2 cm in size was posteriorly made. The endoscope cannula together with 0° or 30° endoscopes was inserted to capture the panoramic views of the neurovascular structures in CPA. Endoscopic anatomic exposure and maneuverability were evaluated using 0° and 30° endoscopes with/without the endoscope cannula. RESULTS: The surgeon could easily use both hands during the surgical simulation, and maneuverability was seen to increase in CPA with the use of the endoscope cannula. CONCLUSION: The surgeon can work actively with both hands when the endoscopes and the endoscope cannula are used together. We believe that owing to this, the surgeon's maneuverability would increase and a more effective minimally invasive endoscopic retrosigmoid surgery would ensue.

Can Platelet and Leukocyte Indicators Give Us an Idea about Distant Metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Cancer?

This study aimes to evaluate platelet and leucocyte indicators, such as the mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, plateletcrit, white blood cell count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in nasopharyngeal cancer patients and also to evaluate the relationship between these indicators and nasopharyngeal cancer with distant metastasis. The medical records of 118 patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in our hospital between January 2006 and August 2015 were reviewed. The nasopharyngeal cancer group was further sub grouped according to the presence or absence of distant metastasis and TNM (tumour - T, node - N, metastasis - M) classification. A control group consisted of 120 healthy patients. The platelet and leucocyte values at the time of the initial diagnosis were recorded. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet distribution width values were significantly higher in the nasopharyngeal cancer group. But only platelet distribution width values were significantly higher in the nasopharyngeal cancer group with distant metastasis compared to the nasopharyngeal cancer group without distant metastasis. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet distribution width values may increase in nasopharyngeal cancer. But only the platelet distribution width values may give us an idea about the distant metastasis in nasopharyngeal cancer.