Conservative management of vestibular schwannomas: third review of a 10-year prospective study.

Seventy-two patients with a unilateral vestibular schwannoma have been treated conservatively for a median of 121 months. They have been followed prospectively by serial clinical examination, MRI scans and audiometry. Twenty-five patients (35%, 95% CI: 24-47) failed conservative management and required active intervention during the study. No factors predictive of tumour growth or failure of conservative management could be identified. Seventy-five per cent of failures occurred in the first half of the 10-year study. The median growth rate for all tumours at 10 years was 1 mm/year (range -0.53-7.84). Cerebellopontine angle tumours grew faster (1.4 mm/year) than intracanalicular tumours (0 mm/year, P < 0.01); 92% had growth rates under 2 mm/year. Hearing deteriorated substantially even in tumours that did not grow, but did so faster in tumours that grew significantly (mean deterioration in pure tone average at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 kHz was 36 dB; speech discrimination scores deteriorated by 40%). Patients who failed conservative management had clinical outcomes that were not different from those who underwent primary treatment without a period of conservative management.

Pseudomonas cervical osteomyelitis with retropharyngeal abscess: an unusual complication of otitis media.

We present the unusual case of a 54-year-old diabetic man with chronic suppurative otitis media, presenting with cervical osteomyelitis and retropharyngeal abscess. This was treated with decompression, debridement and fusion from C2 to C4 with external halo-frame stabilization. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was cultured from the ear and the osteomyelitis specimen. Exploration of the left ear showed evidence of mucosal disease, with granulations in the middle ear and oedematous mucosa in the mastoid antrum, but no evidence of dural-plate dehiscence. Haematogenous spread probably led to cervical osteomyelitis and retropharyngeal abscess formation. Cervical osteomyelitis may develop as a rare complication and present as a cause of severe neck pain in patients with otitis media.

Fate of the unrevised cemented stem following cup only revision: 227 hips at an average of 6 years follow-up.

BACKGROUND: After primary total hip replacement, aseptic loosening of the acetabular cup is more common than loosening of the femoral stem. Removal of a well-fixed stem adds to operative time, blood loss, risk of bone loss and fracture. There is limited evidence that isolated cup revision can be a safe option in revision hip arthroplasty. We question the following regarding the unrevised cemented stem after isolated cup revision: 1) Does the unrevised stem require revision after isolated cup revision? 2) When is the stem subsequently revised? 3) Why is the stem subsequently revised? 4) Do unrevised stems exhibit radiographic loosening? HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesise that after isolated cup revision most unrevised stems do not need subsequent revision, and that most do not exhibit evidence of radiographic loosening. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent revision of the acetabular component only during revision hip arthroplasty between March 1970 and July 2013 was carried out. We assessed survival of the unrevised stem, reasons for subsequent revision, plus radiographic analysis for stem loosening. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-seven hips were included [215 patients with an average age at the time of primary surgery was 47 (13-70) years]. The Charnley stem was used in 161 cases; C-stem 65, Howse 1. Average time between primary surgery and cup revision was 15.9 (1.6-33.4) years. Average follow-up for all stems post-isolated cup revision was 6.1 (0.1-30.7) years. Twenty-eight stems (12.3%) were subsequently revised 5.1 (0.1-12.6) years after the isolated cup revision. Reasons for subsequent revision were: aseptic loosening (10); infection (8); dislocation (6); unreconstructable joint post-loose cup removal (2); fracture (2). Radiographic review was possible on 140 cases. Five femoral stems were revised and 2 others showed evidence of possible radiological loosening but were not revised. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge this is the largest series showing that isolated cup revision in the place of a well-fixed cemented stem is safe and is associated with ongoing good long-term survival of the stem. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.

Reduction of postoperative blood loss after press-fit condylar knee arthroplasty with use of a femoral intramedullary plug.

In a prospective study of eighty press-fit condylar knee arthroplasties performed with cement, we compared the postoperative blood loss in forty patients in whom the defect left by the femoral intramedullary alignment rod had been left open with the blood loss in forty patients in whom the defect had been closed with a plug of cement. The patients in the open-defect group had significantly more blood loss (mean, 1002 milliliters) in the first twenty-four hours after the operation than the closed-defect group (mean, 752 milliliters) (p < or = 0.01). The total postoperative blood loss was also significantly greater in the open-defect group (mean, 1536 milliliters) than in the closed-defect group (mean, 1215 milliliters) (p = 0.02).

Revision of the acetabular component of a total hip arthroplasty with cement in young patients without rheumatoid arthritis.

The results for eighty-two young patients without rheumatoid arthritis who had had eighty-seven revisions of the acetabular component because of aseptic loosening were studied. The mean duration of follow-up was approximately six years (range, 1.9 to 18.1 years). The clinical result was excellent or satisfactory for seventy-nine hips (91 per cent). However, at the latest radiographic assessment, twenty-six sockets were loose. Of the fifty hips that had had good bone stock (only slight enlargement of the acetabulum or local defects involving only one wall) before the revision, seven (14 per cent) had loosening of the socket, compared with nineteen (51 per cent) of the thirty-seven that had had poor bone stock (massive or global collapse of the acetabulum and defects involving at least two walls). The relationship between loosening and the quality of the bone stock before the revision was highly significant (p = 0.0002, chi-square test). The results of revision of the socket with use of cement and without use of any bone grafts in young patients who have poor acetabular bone stock are not very encouraging. The need for regular follow-up of all patients who have had an arthroplasty cannot be overemphasized.

Financial justification for routine ultrasound screening of the neonatal hip.

We have analysed the patterns of management of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in Coventry over a period of 20 years during which three different screening policies were used. From 1976 to the end of 1985 we relied on clinical examination alone. The mean surgical cost for the treatment of DDH during this period was Pound Sterling 5110 per 1000 live births. This was reduced to Pound Sterling 3811 after the introduction of ultrasound for infants with known risk factors. Since June 1989 we have routinely scanned all infants at birth with a mean surgical cost of Pound Sterling 468 per 1000 live births. This reduction in cost is a result of the earlier detection of DDH with fewer children requiring surgery. In those who do, fewer and less invasive procedures are needed. The overall rate of treatment has not increased and regular review of patients managed in a Pavlik harness has allowed us to avoid the complication of avascular necrosis. When we add the cost of running the screening programme to the expense of treating the condition, the overall cost for the management of DDH is comparable for the different screening policies.

Cemented revision Charnley low-friction arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We assessed 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (47 hips) who had had revision hip arthroplasty, at an average follow-up of 7 years 4 months (2 to 19). The clinical results were excellent or satisfactory in 43 hips. Radiologically, 45 stems were secure. Fifteen sockets (36.6%) were radiologically loose. Three hips required rerevision. Socket failure is the predominant problem in rheumatoid patients after cemented revision arthroplasty.

One-stage revision of infected total hip replacements with discharging sinuses.

We report a prospective study of 57 one-stage cemented revisions of total hip replacement for deep infection with an actively discharging sinus. The average follow-up was 7 years 4 months. Seven patients had required rerevisions, but at latest follow-up, infection was under control in 49 (86%). A discharging sinus is not, in itself, a contraindication to one-stage revision of a hip replacement.

Cemented revision for aseptic acetabular loosening. A review of 387 hips.

We reviewed the records and radiographs of 387 cemented revisions of aseptic loose sockets after total hip replacement at a mean follow-up of 5.5 years. The clinical results were satisfactory, but at the last radiological assessment 38 sockets (9.8%) had a continuous zone of demarcation greater than 1 mm thick and another 35 (9%) showed migration. Poor acetabular bone stock had a profound influence on the outcome of revision surgery, but the results of cemented revision were comparable to those reported for cementless revision at similar mean follow-up.

Cemented Charnley revision arthroplasty for severe femoral osteolysis.

We reviewed prospectively cemented stem revision in 106 patients with severe femoral endosteal bone lysis without infection. Bone grafts were not used in any of the patients. The minimum follow-up was three years (mean 6 years 4 months). At the last review 76.4% of the patients were free of pain and 17.9% had only mild or occasional discomfort; radiographs showed well-fixed stable stems in 101 (95.3%). An intramedullary cement plug was used at revision to improve stability in 97.7%. There was new endosteal osteolysis after revision in 17 patients; only two had severe changes. Seven hips (6.6%) required a second revision; only four of these (3.8%) were for stem loosening. Survivorship of the revised stem, using radiological evidence of stem loosening as the end point, was 95.8% at seven years. The results of stem revision arthroplasty using cement in the presence of massive endosteal cavitation are satisfactory.

Revision for aseptic stem loosening using the cemented Charnley prosthesis. A review of 351 hips.

We reviewed 351 cemented revisions of femoral stems performed for aseptic loosening. At a mean of six years after the revision operation 72.1% of the patients were pain-free and 21.4% had only mild or occasional discomfort. The latest radiographs showed definite stem loosening in 10 (2.8%) and 20 hips (5.7%) had required rerevision, only nine (2.6%) of which were for mechanical failure of the stem. Survivorship analysis, taking the end point as rerevision of the stem, gave 97.0% survival at eight years and 91.6% at 11 years. Excellent results both clinically and radiologically can be achieved by cemented revision of the femoral stem for aseptic loosening.

Multiple revision for failed Charnley low-friction arthroplasty.

We reviewed 54 patients at a mean follow-up of 4 years 4 months after rerevisions for failure of Charnley low-friction arthroplasty. Rerevision for aseptic loosening in 26 hips was satisfactory; there were no clinical failures and at the latest radiological assessment only one stem and three sockets showed signs of loosening. By contrast, nine of 20 multiple revisions for recurrent dislocation failed, as did five of eight multiple revisions for deep infection. There was radiological evidence of loosening in one stem and nine sockets in the former group and in three stems and five sockets in the latter.

Bipolar scissors versus cold dissection for pediatric tonsillectomy--a prospective, randomized pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate bipolar scissors tonsillectomy by comparing it with traditional cold dissection tonsillectomy. The outcome measures used were: (1) intra-operative bleeding; (2) operative time; (3) post-operative pain; and (4) complication rates including reactionary and secondary hemorrhage. METHOD: A prospective, randomized multiunit study involving three teaching hospitals in Belfast. Fifty consecutive children aged 10-16 years undergoing tonsillectomy for recurrent or chronic tonsillitis, between March 2000 and September 2000 were recruited as a subgroup of 200 patients selected for this study. These children were analysed separately from the adults, in a pilot study for the above parameters. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 14.3 years. Sixty-eight percent of the children were girls. Median intra-operative blood loss was 6 ml for bipolar scissors tonsillectomy and 86 ml for cold dissection tonsillectomy (P<0.001). The median operative time was 10.5 min for bipolar scissors tonsillectomy compared to 14.5 min for the cold dissection method (P=0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the pain scores between the two methods (P>0.05). The overall reactionary hemorrhage rate was 4% while the overall secondary hemorrhage rate was 14%. The hospital readmission rate was 4%. The reactionary and secondary hemorrhage rates were unaffected by the surgical method. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study has shown that bipolar scissors tonsillectomy is a relatively safe technique in children aged 10-16 years with a similar morbidity to the cold dissection method. Its use is associated with a significant decrease in surgical time and blood loss compared to the cold dissection method. These advantages make it a favourable instrument for pediatric tonsillectomy especially in this age group.

Peritonsillar abscess: the rationale for interval tonsillectomy.

Although peritonsillar abscess (quinsy) and peritonsillitis are common ENT emergencies, management strategies in the United Kingdom still vary among otolaryngologists. In order to obtain data on the success of the various strategies, we conducted two surveys--one concerned itself with patient outcomes, while the other sought information on physician preferences. The survey of 571 practicing ENT surgeons revealed that 83% advise interval tonsillectomy only for patients who have a history of tonsillitis; they prefer to take a wait-and-see approach for a single attack of quinsy. Conversely, 15% advise a routine interval tonsillectomy following even a single isolated attack of quinsy/peritonsillitis. Only 6.8% still perform a quinsy tonsillectomy in selected cases. Survey responses from 192 adults and 15 children who had been hospitalized for the treatment of quinsy/peritonsillitis revealed that the vast majority of patients who did not undergo an interval tonsillectomy were still asymptomatic 2 to 8 years later. These results indicate that a wait-and-see policy is indeed suitable for most patients who present with an isolated attack of quinsy/peritonsillitis without a history of tonsillitis. We recommend that tonsillectomy be performed as a definitive treatment for quinsy/peritonsillitis in patients who have a history of tonsillitis. Such a history is a reliable indicator of recurrent quinsy or tonsillitis following an attack of quinsy/peritonsillitis in both children and adults. Quinsy tonsillectomy should be reserved for those few patients who do not respond to conservative measures.

Management of otoscierosis--an Irish perspective.

The last 30 years have seen a gradual change in the management of otosclerosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the current practice amongst Irish otolaryngology consultants by a questionnaire and to compare it with the practice currently followed in Great Britain. Thirty-eight responses (67.9%) were available for analysis. The overall trend is towards centralisation with a reduction in the number of surgeons undertaking stapes surgery (39%). The majority of consultants (67%) who undertake stapes surgery would operate for a unilateral conductive loss and 67% would undertake bilateral stapes surgery. Stapedotomy is the only operation performed (100%) with none of the consultants performing partial or total stapedectomies.

Management of peritonsillitis/peritonsillar.

Peritonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess (quinsy) are commonly encountered emergencies in day to day ENT practice. However the value of a tonsillectomy as well as its timing in these cases is debatable amongst Otolaryngologists. A postal survey performed amongst practising ENT surgeons in the U.K. revealed that 475 out of 571 ENT surgeons (83%) prefer to "wait and observe" for a single isolated attack of peritonsillitis/peritonsillar abscess while 86 surgeons (15%) would routinely advocate interval tonsillectomy after an attack of peritonsillitis/quinsy. In patients without a background history of tonsillitis, 432 of the 475 ENT surgeons (90.9%) would advise a tonsillectomy after the second attack of peritonsillitis/quinsy whereas 30 surgeons (6.3%) would do so only after a third attack. A retrospective study of 207 patients was performed to evaluate the safety of a "wait and observe" policy. One hundred and four of the 129 adults (88.3%) and 5 out of the 6 children (83.2%) who did not undergo a tonsillectomy remained asymptomatic after the single isolated attack of peritonsillitis/quinsy. Four adults (3.1%) and 1 child (16.6%) required a tonsillectomy eventually for recurring attacks of tonsillitis. Recurrence of peritonsillitis/peritonsillar abscess was observed in 11 patients (8.5%). These results suggest that a "wait and observe" policy is safe for most patients presenting with a single attack of peritonsillitis/peritonsillar abscess without a background history of tonsillitis.

Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy: anatomical approach.

Dacryocystorhinostomy is the surgical treatment for nasolacrimal blockage. In recent years, the endoscopic approach has become more popular due to the development of nasal endoscopes and the ease of surgery in comparison to the external approach. In order to identify the lacrimal duct during surgery, surgeons insert a light pipe into the lacrimal duct and then drill or chisel the hard bone of the frontal process of the maxilla to remove the bony covering of the sac and duct. It is obvious that knowledge of the anatomy of the lacrimal sac/duct within the nose is essential for the surgeon. The lacrimal apparatus in the nose was studied using 10 cadaveric half-heads (5 males and 5 females) to establish the anatomical landmarks and most accessible part of the lacrimal duct from within the nose. Although there was solid bone covering the whole length of the sac and the duct, the posteromedial aspect of the lower sac and upper duct was covered by the ultra thin lacrimal bone (average thickness 0.057 mm) which was consistently found to be lying immediately anterior to the uncinate process in the middle meatus, thus constituting a "surgical window" (average size 2.5 mm x 7.2 mm) whereby surgical entry into the lacrimal duct becomes relatively easy. The lower part of the lacrimal sac and the upper part of the lacrimal duct can therefore be easily accessed from within the nose by following this anatomical approach, thus avoiding the need to drill or chisel the dense frontal process of the maxilla.

60Co-γ radiation induces differential acetylation and phosphorylation of histones H3 and H4 in wheat.

Histone modifications occur during DNA damage and repair in eukaryotes. These modifications were analysed in wheat seedlings exposed to (60) Co-γ radiation. Seedling height was not significantly affected in the first 2 days after irradiation up to 150 Gy. Subsequently, in the next 2 weeks, there was 30-40% reduction in seedling height, indicating that there were late effects of irradiation. The histones isolated from irradiated seedlings were analysed in the initial stages for modifications of H3 and H4 using antibodies. Global acetylation of H3 decreased and H4 increased in a dose-dependent manner till 100 Gy. The time course of individual modifications showed that for H3K4 and H3K9, acetylation decreased, whereas for H3S10 phosphorylation increased. There were fluctuations in acetylation of H4K5, H4K12 and H4K16, whereas H4K8 showed hyper-acetylation. The results indicate that γ radiation induced DNA damage and repair in wheat seedlings and initiated differential acetylation of H3 and H4. This is the first report in plants on site-specific H3 and H4 modifications in response to exposure to ionizing radiation.

Kurz titanium prosthesis ossiculoplasty--follow-up statistical analysis of factors affecting one year hearing results.

OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the one year results of Kurz titanium ossicular prosthesis and the factors affecting the outcome from this prosthesis. The hearing results of titanium partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP) and total ossicular replacement prosthesis (TORP) were compared. METHODS: This is prospective study of 97 Kurz prosthesis ossiculoplasties, performed by the same senior author (VVR) between 2004 and 2006. All patients undergoing ossiculoplasty using Kurz prosthesis between 2004 and 2006 were included. All patients had minimum follow-up period of one year. There were 97 patients in total. 65 patients had PORP's and 32 had TORP's. The mean preoperative and postoperative air-bone gaps for the frequencies (500, 1000, 2000, and 3000Hz) were calculated. The improvement of the mean air-bone gap (ABG) and air conduction over the same frequencies were measured. A postoperative ABG less than or equal to 20dB was considered a successful result. Statistical analysis was used to identify the factors which affect the postoperative results. RESULTS: The mean preoperative ABG was 27.89dB (SD=11.71). The mean postoperative ABG for the entire series was 11.39dB (SD=10.47). The mean improvement in ABG was 16.50dB (SD=14.00). 81.4% (79 patients) had postoperative ABG< or =20dB. 56.7% (55 patients) of the patients had postoperative ABG< or =10dB. The mean postoperative ABG for all PORP patients was 10.6dB (SD=9.7). The mean postoperative ABG of TORP was higher in this study (14.84dB, SD=12.86) but it was not statistically significant (p=0.10, 2-tailed t-test, 95% CI -9.35 to 0.924). There was no significant effect of age, presence or absence of cholesteatoma or retraction pocket, type of mastoid surgery and thickness of the cartilage graft used on the results. The effect of the preoperative ossicular condition on the postoperative hearing results was also analysed. CONCLUSION: Titanium ossicular reconstruction gives stable short-term results. There was no statistically significant difference between the total and partial replacement prostheses. The preoperative status of the stapes superstructure did influence the mean postoperative ABG.