Study of Morphological and Anthropometric Features of Human Ear Ossicles.

To study the morphology and anthropometry of human ear ossicles from cadaveric temporal bone and to study the variations of the human ossicles from ossiculoplasty point of view. 38 sets of ear ossicles were collected, each containing malleus, incus and stapes, from temporal bone dissection done in Vasantrao Pawar medical college, Nashik. They were studied under microscope & anthropometrical, morphological evaluation done. Malleus showed variations in handle where 61% were straight and 39% curved. Weight of malleus ranged from 0.03-0.06 gm. The length ranged from 5.5 to 8.2 mm. Incus showed morphological variation in lenticular process which was present in 73% incii. Weight of incus ranged from 0.04 to 0.09 gm, average length of long process 3.5 mm, width of body 4 mm. In stapes variations was seen with head of stapes which was absent in 21% bones. With increasing awareness about postop hearing status, this study will add up in knowledge of morphological and anthropometric variations that exists in Indian population, help otologists to understand middle ear dynamics better which will improve results of ossiculoplasty.

Cord medialisation in unilateral vocal fold paralysis improves forced vital capacity.

OBJECTIVES: The lateralised vocal fold of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (ULVFP) is unphysiological for expiration wherein vocal folds normally adduct to increase expiratory resistance and prevent small airway collapse. ULVFP may therefore impair ventilatory function and ventilatory volume. This study seeks to test whether vocal fold medialisation improves forced vital capacity (FVC). DESIGN: Prospective inception cohort intervention study. SETTING: Academic Tertiary Care Institution. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five patients of ULVFP with a phonatory gap ranging from 2 to 6 mm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vocal fold medialisation was undertaken with autologous fat injection. Forced vital capacity (FVC) assessments by spirometry were undertaken pre-treatment and 1-month post-treatment. RESULTS: Improvement in FVC was noted in all patients with the quantum of improvement ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 litres. Mean FVC improved from 3.10 L pre-injection to 3.45 L post-injection. (p < .001). A moderate correlation was noted between the degree of medialisation and improvement in FVC (r = .33, Pearson's correlation coefficient). CONCLUSIONS: Objective improvement in FVC is consistently noted in post vocal fold medialisation for ULVFP and is probably mediated by increased glottic expiratory resistance and consequent improvement in intrinsic PEEP.