The Protective Effect of Platelet Rich Plasma Against Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity.

Cisplatin, a pharmacological agent widely used for treating many cancers, may cause serious side effects including ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and peripheral neuropathy. The present study aimed to investigate whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) protects against cisplatin ototoxicity. Eight rats (16 ears) were divided into 2 groups: control group (4 rats, 8 ears) that received intratympanic saline and study group (4 rats, 8 ears) that received intratympanic PRP. Cisplatin (10 mg/day intraperitoneally) or vehicle was administered 2 times per day to the animals. Auditory brainstem responses were recorded preoperatively and postoperatively on day 4 and at week 3. The authors compared the morphological appearances of spiral ganglion cells and the organ of Corti and the density of spiral ganglion cells between treatment groups. The number of outer hair cells in the organ of Corti significantly decreased in the control group compared with that in the PRP group. Although no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups regarding ABR thresholds on day 4 (P = 0.083, a statistically significant difference was observed between groups at week 3 (P = 0.038). Our results suggest that PRP can prevent cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.

The Effect of Anterior Palatoplasty Plus Modified Expansion Sphincter Pharyngoplasty on Voice Performance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of anterior palatoplasty (AP) plus modified expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (MESP) on voice performance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: Fourteen OSAS patients who had AP + MESP procedure were included in the study. Voice performances of the patients were analyzed with acoustic voice analysis before surgery, and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: Preoperative and postoperative F0, jitter percentage, and shimmer percentage were compared. Mean preoperative F0 was 129.85 Hz, and mean postoperative F0 was 138.07 Hz, with a significant difference in between (P = 0.017). Mean preoperative jitter percentage was 0.65, and mean shimmer percentage was 0.88, while those values were 0.67 and 0.84, respectively, in the postoperative period. The differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.801 and 0.652). CONCLUSION: The AP + MESP procedure performed for OSAS results in improvement of F0 in the long term; however, there were no differences in jitter percentage and shimmer percentage.

The Effect of Septoplasty on Voice Performance in Patients With Severe and Mild Nasal Septal Deviation.

OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to analyze the effect of septoplasty, performed in 2 groups with different grades of nasal septal deviation (NSD), on voice performance. METHODS: A total of 43 patients who had septoplasty due to NSD and were included in the study. The study groups were divided into 2 groups as groups A and B. The patients in group A had severe NSD, and 1 of the nasal cavity was obstructed totally or near totally. In group B, the NSD narrowed the nasal passage, and the deviation was not severe. The voice performance was analyzed preoperatively, and 1 month after surgery with both objective and subjective methods. Objective analysis included acoustic voice analysis, and measurement of F0, jitter %, shimmer %. Preoperative and postoperative F0, jitter %, shimmer %, and Voice Handicap Index-30 (VHI-30) were compared in groups A and B. RESULTS: F0 showed a statistically significant improvement after surgery in group A (P <0.001). Jitter %, shimmer %, and VHI-30 scores also improved after surgery, without any statistical significance. In group B, preoperative and postoperative F0, jitter %, and shimmer % were similar. However, VHI-30 scores showed a significant improvement postoperatively (P = 0.005). Comparison of groups A and B for improvements of the voice parameters revealed that group A showed improvements in all voice parameters, and the improvements of F0 and shimmer % were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Septoplasty performed for severe NSD obstructing nasal lumen totally or near totally results in significant improvements in the voice performance.

The effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and continuous positive airway pressure treatment on voice performance.

OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) may affect voice performance due to alterations that occur in the upper respiratory tract. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of OSAS and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on voice performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with moderate to severe OSAS (apnea-hypopnea index ≥15/h) who underwent polysomnographic examination and 28 age- and gender-matched normal control subjects were enrolled in the study. The patients and the control subjects completed Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaires, and their acoustic voice analyses were performed. Fundamental frequency (F0), jitter %, and shimmer % parameters were statistically compared. Acoustic analyses were performed again 1 month after regular CPAP use in OSAS patients, and the parameters before and after the treatment were compared. RESULTS: F0 was 160.82 Hz, jitter was 0.70%, shimmer was 1.05%, and VHI was 1.18 in the control group. In OSAS patients before CPAP treatment, F0 was 157.04 Hz, jitter was 0.82%, shimmer was 1.33%, and VHI was 13.11. These results showed that shimmer and VHI parameters were significantly worse in OSAS patients. After CPAP treatment, F0 was 169.19 Hz, jitter was 0.62%, shimmer was 0.93% and VHI was 5.00. The differences were statistically significant in all parameters. CONCLUSION: The acoustic parameters of OSAS patients differed from those of the normal control subjects. The patients' voice performance improved after a regular use of CPAP treatment for 1 month.

Prognostic effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy starting time for sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is one of the otological emergencies whose pathogenesis is uncertain and associated with total or partial loss of hearing function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the hyperbaric oxygen therapy starting time affects the management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Fifty-nine patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss admitted to our clinic between 2008 and 2012 were retrospectively included in this study. All patients received hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In addition, each patient received intravenous piracetam and 37 patients received steroid therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was initiated between 1 and 7 days with 20 patients determined as Group A, between 8 and 14 days with 25 patients determined as Group B and between 15 and 28 days with 14 patients determined as Group C. Hearing gains of these three groups were statistically evaluated. Each of them showed statistically significant improvement. Lowest hearing gain was observed in Group C and the gain of this group was statistically less than the other two groups. There was no significant difference between the hearing gains of the Group A and Group B. Starting hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss within the first 14 days has positive effect on the prognosis of the disease.

Incidence of hypothyroidism and its correlation with polysomnography findings in obstructive sleep apnea.

The aim of this study is to investigate the thyroid functions and its correlation with polysomnography findings in obstructive sleep apnea patients. This study was conducted on 203 patients evaluated with the complaints of snoring, witnessed apnea and daytime sleepiness and established polysomnography (PSG) indication between May 2008 and August 2011. All patients' nocturnal PSG recordings were carried out. The thyroid function was classified as euthyroid, subclinical hypothyroidism and clinical hypothyroidism after analyzing serum TSH and free T4 values. The correlation between the data obtained from PSG records and thyroid function values was statistically compared. Apnea hypopnea index obtained from PSG was in the range of 5.4-132.9/h, and mean value was 32.7/h. The lowest oxygen saturation level was in the range of 20-92 %, and the mean value was 76.4 %. According to PSG results, 55 patients (27.09 %) had mild obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), 48 patients (23.65 %) had moderate OSAS and 100 patients (49.26 %) had severe OSAS. On evaluation of the thyroid function test results, 10.8 % (n = 22) of the patients were defined to have subclinical hypothyroidism and 1.97 % (n = 4) clinical hypothyroidism. We found a total of 12.77 % subclinical and clinical hypothyroidism in patients with OSAS. Though the incidence of hypothyroidism was pretty high in patients with OSA, there was no statistically significant correlation between thyroid functions and polysomnography findings. We suggest that evaluation of the thyroid functions is important and necessary in patients with OSAS. Polysomnography findings do not correlate statistically with thyroid function tests, addressing the need for thyroid screening for all OSAS patients.

Investigation of SCGB3A1 (UGRP2) gene arrays in patients with nasal polyposis.

The aim of the current study is to investigate the potential relationship between polymorphisms and nasal polyposis (NP) pathogenesis in the SCGB3A1 (UGRP2) gene, which is a member of the secretoglobin gene super family. Genotypic variations were studied by performing DNA sequencing in blood samples of 80 patients with NP and 70 healthy individuals to evaluate nucleotide changes and their positions that might be in the SCGB3A1 gene (promotor, splicing points, and exon distributions). In the SCGB3A1 gene, three single-nucleotide changes labeled IVS1-89 T>G, c. -183 G>T, IVS1-189 G>A were identified. IVS1-89 T>G and IVS1-189 G>A belong to the first intronic region of the gene, whereas c. -183 G>T was observed in the promoter region of the gene. The IVS1-89 T>G nucleotide change was observed in the patient and control groups, whereas c. -183 G>T and IVS1-189 G>A nucleotide changes were observed in the control group only. SCGB3A1 (IVS1-89) genotype frequencies between patients with NP and control group were not significantly different (p = 0.311). There was a statistically significant difference in the control group in comparison to patients with NP in terms of SCGB3A1 (c. -183 GT) and SCGB3A1 (IVS1-189 GA) frequency (p = 0.0045 and p = 0.009, respectively). The findings of the current study suggest that SCGB3A1-183 T and SCGB3A1 IVS1-189 A alleles might have a protective effect against NP, and that SCGB3A1 (-183 GT and IVS1-189 GA) genotypes should be studied in future population-based studies.

[The effect of allergy on prognosis of surgically treated nasal polyposis]. / Alerjinin cerrahi olarak tedavi edilen nazal polipozis prognozuna etkisi.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effects of allergy existence on prognosis of surgically treated nasal polyposis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 29 patients (22 males, 7 females; mean age 45.9 years; range 21 to 72 years) admitted to our clinic with nasal polyposis between January 2006 and December 2008. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 11 patients who had positive results in skin prick test or whose positivity of allergy was confirmed by serum-specific immunoglobulin E, as a skin prick test was contraindicated. Group 2 included 18 patients who had negative allergy test results. Endoscopic and radiological evaluations of the patients were done preoperatively. Bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery was applied to all patients. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of pre- and postoperative endoscopic and radiological evaluation findings in group 1 showed a non-significant improvement (p>0.05). Statistical analysis of pre- and postoperative endoscopic and radiological evaluation findings in group 2 demonstrated a significant improvement (p<0.001, p<0.005 respectively). CONCLUSION: Response to surgical treatment is more limited in nasal polyposis patients with a positive allergy test.

Investigation of lateral pharyngeal walls in OSAS.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the site of obstruction detected on Müller's maneuver and the polysomnography findings in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. This study is a prospective cohort study in a setting of Tertiary referral center. The study was performed on 87 patients (59 males and 28 females) with a mean age of 50 ± 10.34 years (range 20-83 years) who presented with the complaints of snoring, apnea, witnessed apnea and daytime sleepiness. The height and body weight of the enrolled patients were measured and the body mass indexes were calculated. The obstruction degrees of the soft palate and lateral pharyngeal walls at the level of the soft palate and the obstruction degrees of the tongue base and lateral pharyngeal walls at the level of the tongue base were determined using the Müller's maneuver. All patients underwent whole-night polysomnography at our hospital's Sleep Center. The apnea-hypopnea index values of the patients increased as their ages and body mass index values increased. There was a highly statistically significant correlation between apnea-hypopnea index and the obstruction degree of the lateral pharyngeal walls at the level of the tongue base on Müller's maneuver (p < 0.01). We found that the apnea-hypopnea index increased as the obstruction degree of the lateral pharyngeal walls increased on Müller's maneuver. In patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, a high apnea-hypopnea index can be predicted if the obstruction degree of the lateral pharyngeal walls is high at the level of the tongue base on Müller's maneuver.

The predictive value of Muller maneuver in REM-dependent obstructive sleep apnea.

To our knowledge, no studies up to date have investigated the correlation of rapid eye movement (REM) dependent obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and Muller maneuver. The aim of this study is to investigate whether REM-dependent OSAS is predicted by the findings of the Muller maneuver. The study was conducted on 149 patients with witnessed apnea and daytime sleepiness. Muller maneuver was performed to all patients and the obstruction site was determined using a five-point scale. Then, polysomnography of the patient was obtained and the apnea-hypopnea indexes were determined in total sleep time, REM-dependent sleep and non-REM-dependent sleep. The correlations between the Muller maneuver findings and polysomnographic data were analyzed. The ages of the patients included in the study ranged between 25 and 73 years with a mean age of 49.3 ± 10.1 years. Their mean body mass index was 30.8 ± 5.1 kg/m(2) (range 21.9-55.4 kg/m(2)). The patients' mean apnea-hypopnea indexes in total sleep time was 28.1 and ranged between 5.4 and 124.3. REM-dependent OSAS was determined in 49 patients. When the data were analyzed, it was determined that there were no statistically significant correlations between tongue base or lateral pharyngeal band obstruction at the level of hypopharynx and the REM-dependent OSAS. At the level of the soft palate, the obstruction caused by the lateral pharyngeal bands or soft palate and REM dependency did not show any statistically significant correlation (p > 0.05). In conclusion, Muller maneuver does not provide useful data to predict REM dependency of OSAS.

Impact of corrective rhinologic surgery on rhinogenic headache.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the localization of the headache, mucosal contact points, sinonasal anatomic variations and the incidence of mucosal abnormalities were determined in patients with rhinogenic headache, and the efficacy of the corrective surgery on the severity of the headache and the rate of improvement on that localization were investigated. STUDY DESIGN: Conducted in a prospective manner. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2b. METHODS: Sixty-five patients who were admitted with sinonasal symptoms and headache and had septoplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery, or surgical procedures involving the nasal turbinates were included in this study. The quality and the severity of the headache were investigated preoperatively as well as in the 3rd and 12th postoperative months. RESULTS: Headache was most frequently localized the frontal region. The mucosal contact points were most frequently localized between the nasal septum and the middle or inferior turbinates. Differences between preoperative headache and headache in postoperative 3rd month and postoperative 12th month were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Improvement in headache after surgery was statistically significant in cases with Haller cell and paradoxical middle turbinate and in patients with contact points between the nasal septum and the middle or inferior turbinates (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown the importance of surgery in the treatment of rhinogenic headache. We have also shown the reliability of the decongestion test for determining the indication for surgery. We suggest that the rhinologic surgery may have a great contribution to the treatment of headache.

Intranasal angiofibrolipoma.

Angiofibrolipoma is a rarely seen histopathological variant of lipoma. It is seldom in the head and neck region. Clinically, it shows macroscopic similarity with lipoma. In this article, we report a 65-year-old male case who presented with left-sided nasal obstruction. After complete removal of the tumor, histopathological diagnosis was reported as angiofibrolipoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of an angiofibrolipoma of the nose in the literature.

[Cervical lymphadenopathy: progressive transformation of germinal centers]. / Boyunda lenfadenopati: Germinal merkezlerin progresif transformasyonu.

Enlarged lymph node in the head and neck region is a common reason for referral to ear nose throat specialists. In the differential diagnosis of chronic lymphadenopathies, infection, lymphoproliferative disorders and progressive transformation of germinal centers should be considered. In this article, we report two cases of progressive transformation of germinal centers in the neck.

Elevated serum calprotectin as an inflammatory marker in obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the serum calprotectin (SCal) levels and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: Sixty-seven OSA patients and 46 healthy volunteers without any sleep disorders were included in the study. The patient group was divided into three subgroups according to the severity of OSA. The SCal levels and NLR values were compared among subgroups and between the experimental and control groups. RESULTS: The mean SCal level and NLR value were higher in the study group than in the control group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). The SCal levels were significantly higher in patients with severe OSA than in those with moderate and mild OSA (p = 0.004 and p = 0.001, respectively). DISCUSSION: Unlike NLR, the SCal level may inform the severity of OSA and could be used as an indicator for OSA.

Giant pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland.

Pleomorphic adenomas are the most common benign tumors of the salivary glands. These adenomas generally present without pain and are slowly enlarged. However, they can reach enormous sizes, because they are often neglected by the patient and due to late diagnosis and intervention because of fear of surgery or sociocultural factors. This may lead to functional, aesthetic and social problems. In this article, we present a 55-year-old female patient with a giant pleomorphic adenoma in size of 15x15x20 cm, who presented with the complaint of a mass enlarged and swollen for 20 years in her left neck and face and underwent a successful surgery.

[Inconsistency of the Epworth sleepiness scale results with the polysomnography findings in patients with sleep-disordered breathing]. / Uykuda solunum bozuklugu olan hastalarda Epworth uykululuk skalasi sonuçlarinin polisomnografi bulgulari ile uyumsuzlugu.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the consistency of Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) results and polysomnography (PSG) findings in the patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 109 patients (68 males, 41 females; mean age 48.6 years; range 20 to 77 years) who were admitted with the complaints of apnea, witnessed apnea and daytime sleepiness were included. The correlation among age, body mass index (BMI), and ESS and PSG findings were assessed. RESULTS: There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between the age and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (p<0.01). We observed that AHI figures increased with increasing age. There was also a positive and statistically significant correlation between the BMI and AHI (p<0.05). We found that AHI increased in parallel with BMI increase. There was, no statistically significant correlation among the AHI results based on the ESS assessment, the percentage of sleep under 90% of saturation, and the Arousal index (AI). CONCLUSION: The responses to the questions in the ESS may vary from individual to individual, depending on the socio-cultural and economic status. We believe, therefore, that a new Turkey-based questionnaire considering the lifestyle of our population would offer more useful information about sleep disordered breathing.

Comparison of glass ionomer cement and incus interposition in reconstruction of incus long process defects.

The ossicles may be affected through the mass effect of the pathological tissue in chronic otitis media. Ossicular reconstruction may be accomplished using the patients' own ossicles or with alloplastic materials. Glass ionomer ossiculoplasty is a fast, efficient, safe and cost-effective method and it has been used more frequently in recent years. Forty-six patients who had surgery for chronic otitis media were included in this study. All patients had an incus long process defect and a normal stapes superstructure. Ossicular reconstruction was performed using glass ionomer cement (GIC) (Ketac-Cem, Espe Dental AG, Seefeld, Germany) in 23 patients (group 1), while incus interposition was performed in other 23 patients (group 2). Preoperative and postoperative air pure tone averages of the group 1 patients were 42.8 and 35.2 dB, respectively (p < 0.01). These values were 42.9 and 34.5 dB in group 2 (p < 0.01). Two groups were similar with respect to postoperative hearing gain (p > 0.05). The air bone gap of group 1 was 27 dB preoperatively and 20.7 dB postoperatively. These values were 28.7 and 20.2 dB, respectively, in group 2. The closure of air bone gap was statistically significant in both the groups (p < 0.01, p < 0.01). The comparison of the mean gains of the air bone gap revealed no difference between the groups (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the use of both GIC ossiculoplasty and incus interposition are efficient methods for reconstruction of incus long process and one is not superior to the other. A larger study population may be useful for comparison of these methods.

[Revision surgery for chronic otitis media: evaluation of indications and results]. / Kronik otitis media düzeltme ameliyatlari: Endikasyon ve sonuçlarinin degerlendirilmesi.

OBJECTIVES: In patients who underwent primary and revision surgery for chronic otitis media, the types of revision surgery, most frequently observed regions of cholesteatoma, hearing results and the status of graft membrane were evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three of 495 patients (21 males, 22 females; mean age 38.4+/-15.2 years; range 15 to 76 years) with chronic otitis media who underwent revision surgery in our clinic between May 2003 and March 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. Indications for revision surgery were recurrence of the disease in 32 patients (74.4%) and reconstruction of hearing in 11 patients (25.6%). Forty patients (93.0%) underwent revision surgery once and three patients (7.0%) underwent revision twice. Over an average of 3.2 (range 1 to 6) years follow-up after primary and revision surgery, the types of revision surgery, the most frequently observed regions of cholesteatoma, hearing results and the status of graft membrane were assessed. RESULTS: Recurrence of cholesteatoma in revision surgery was seen in 28 patients (65.1%). Out of 27 patients, 23 patients (85.1%) showed intact graft membranes and four patients (14.8%) showed perforated graft membranes. CONCLUSION: In revision surgery, the first goal is to eliminate the disease. The management of chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma is surgery. Because of high postoperative recurrence rates, long-term follow-up is necessary.

Impact of Nasal Trauma on Olfactory Function.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of nasal trauma with and without the potential to produce nasal fracture on the olfactory function. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Ear, Nose, Throat Clinic, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara from October 2018 to June 2019. METHODOLOGY: The study included patients with nasal trauma and control subjects. The patients with nasal trauma were divided into two groups as fracture group (Group F, n=83) and non-fracture group (Group Non-F, n=30). The Group F was further divided into two subgroups according the presence as septal fracture as Group SF (patients with septal fracture) and Group Non-SF (patients with non-septal fracture). The smell functions of all participants were evaluated using the Sniffin' Sticks test. The odour scores of Group F and Group Non-F were compared versus control group, using the independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. Percentage of patients with olfactory dysfunction was compared between Group F and Group Non-F and between Group SF and Group Non-SF using the Chi-square test. RESULTS: There were a total of 113 participants with mean age of 35.64±10.44 years. The median TDI score of Group F was significantly lower in comparison to control group, no significant difference was found between Group Non-F and control group in terms of median TDI score. There was a significant difference between Group F and Group Non-F in terms of the percentage of patients with olfactory dysfunction. No significant difference was found between Group F and Group Non-F with respect to the percentage of patients with olfactory dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Nasal trauma can lead to olfactory dysfunction only if it has the potential to produce a nasal fracture. Key Words: Smell disorders, Nasal bone, Bone fractures, Trauma.

Evaluation of Liver Functions Based on Serum Aminotransferase Enzyme Levels in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with fatty liver disease. In the present study, relations between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and the severity of OSAS and polysomnography parameters were investigated. The study included 194 patients with OSAS and 114 control patients. The patients underwent an overnight polysomnography (PSG) in the Sleep Laboratory. ALT and AST levels were compared between the patients and the controls and between the subgroups of the patients. ALT and AST levels were also compared with the PSG parameters REM AHI, NREM AHI and minimum O2 saturation separately. The mean ALT was 28.95 in the patients and 17.85 in the controls (p < 0.001) with a statistically significant difference and the mean AST was 23.62 in the patients and 16.53 in the controls with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). The patients with OSAS had significantly higher ALT and AST levels. The higher the ALT and AST levels were, the more severe the disease was, though the differences between the subgroups of the patients were not significant.