Evaluation of a bilingual questionnaire-based assessment on hearing in children with speech delay.

INTRODUCTION: To correlate the score obtained using a bilingual (Malay and English) 14 points questionnaire in the detection of hearing loss at the University of Malaya, Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over a 9 month period. METHODS: This is a prospective instrument correlation study done on 93 children aged 1-4 years of age with speech and language delay for at least 3 months. Hearing status was confirmed using otoacoustic emissions, pure tone audiometry and brainstem evoked response (BSER). Hearing status was then compared to the 14-point questionnaire final scores and is statistically correlated. RESULTS: There were 26 patients, 15 males (58%) and 11(42%) females who were diagnosed to have hearing loss. The average age of presentation was 2.49 and conductive hearing loss accounted for about 74% of cases of hearing loss. The mean questionnaire score obtained through our patients was 3.83±1.987. Discriminant analysis suggests that a questionnaire score of above 4 was indicative that the child was suffering from hearing loss. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the low-cost bilingual (Malay and English) questionnaire can be used to detect hearing loss in the Malaysian population and could potentially be useful in rural health centres to help detect hearing loss and to determine the urgency of referral to a tertiary health centre.

A seven-year retrospective analysis of the clinicopathological and mycological manifestations of fungal rhinosinusitis in a single-centre tropical climate hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinicopathological and mycological manifestations of fungal rhinosinusitis occurring in the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, in Klang, Malaysia, which has a tropical climate. METHODS: Records of patients treated from 2009 to 2016 were analysed retrospectively. Data from the records were indexed based on age, gender, clinical presentations, symptom duration, clinical signs and mycological growth. RESULTS: Of 80 samples, 27 (33.75 per cent) had fungal growth. Sixteen patients were classified as having non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and 11 as having invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. The commonest clinical presentation was nasal polyposis in non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis patients (p < 0.05) and ocular symptoms in invasive fungal rhinosinusitis patients (p < 0.05). The commonest organism was aspergillus sp. (p < 0.05) in non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and mucorales in invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. CONCLUSION: There is an almost equal distribution of both invasive and non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, as seen in some Asian countries. Invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, while slightly uncommon when compared to non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, is potentially life threatening, and may require early and extensive surgical debridement. The clinical presentation of nasal polyposis was often associated with non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, whereas ocular symptoms were more likely to be associated with invasive fungal rhinosinusitis.

The impact of postoperative nausea and vomiting on the practice of day surgery for Chinese women with breast diseases.

Background: Day surgery for breast disease is becoming popular but a key limiting factor of success is the development of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Methods: A prospective study of PONV was conducted on 62 patients undergoing breast surgery under general anaesthesia. Lumpectomy was performed in 40 patients. The other 22 patients underwent major breast operations including modified radical mastectomy and wide local excision and axillary dissection. A total of 10 mg of metoclopramide was injected intravenously on induction of anaesthesia and oral metoclopramide was prescribed as required to treat PONV. Results: PONV occurred in six (15%) and 14 (63.6%) patients undergoing minor and major operations respectively. The onset of PONV occurred earlier following minor than major operations. Eleven patients required antiemetics. Univariate analysis showed that the incidence and the first onset of PONV was significantly associated with major breast operation and duration of operation. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that duration of operation was the only independent factor that affects the rate of PONV. However, the onset of nausea was associated with major surgery and the onset of vomiting with the duration of the operation. Patients with minor breast surgery were all discharged on the day of surgery. None of the six patients with PONV required readmission. Conclusion: Minor breast surgery can be readily performed as a day case. More effective antiemetic measures against PONV may be required in major breast surgery.