Efficacy of topical halofuginone in myringotomy patency.

The objective of the study is to determine whether topical halofuginone (HF) application has an impact on prolonging the time for healing of myringotomy incision, and to investigate histopathologic effects of HF on tympanic membrane (TM) in rat model. Forty rats with normal eardrums were involved in this study. The study group and control group consisted of 30 and 10 rats, respectively. A posterior incision 1 mm in diameter was made on healthy eardrums of the rats. Following incision, gelfoam soaked with HF hydrobromide of 30 mg/dl was applied on the perforation in study group, whereas gelfoam soaked with isotonic saline was applied on the perforation in control group. On days 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30, otoendoscopic evaluation of eardrums under general anesthesia was conducted and perforations were screened. A rat of each group was killed in control days and TMs were dissected to evaluate histopathological changes. The average times for patency of perforation in study and control groups were 21.43 and 7.50 days, respectively. The difference was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Histopathological evaluation revealed that HF reduces hyalinisation and fibrosis in eardrum, when compared with the control group. In conclusion, HF significantly delays closure time of myringotomies in rat model. However, this delay may not be enough for recovery of otitis media with effusion.

Caloric function after endolymphatic sac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of endolymphatic sac surgery on vestibular functions using caloric testing on electronystagmography (ENG). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: The medical records of 21 adult patients with unilateral Ménière's disease who underwent endolymphatic sac surgery between 1998 and 2004 were reviewed. With use of ENG, the absolute value of the caloric response of the operated ear (i.e., the cool + warm irrigation response) and the degree of reduced vestibular response (RVR) rates as indicators of caloric functions were compared before and after surgery. Average follow-up was 17 (6-52) months. RESULTS: The mean change in RVR after surgery was found to be 2.9%. In total, there were six (28.5%) patients who had an RVR increase more than 10%. Of those, there were three (14.2%) patients who demonstrated an RVR increase more than 20%. Only one (4.8%) patient had an RVR increase more than 30%. Total loss of vestibular function was not observed in any of the patients. There were three (14.2%) patients who exhibited a decrease of more than 10% in their RVR. In two (9%) patients, the contralateral ear was shown to have less vestibular function than the operated side on ENG postoperatively (in one case, the absolute caloric nystagmus response remained the same in the operated ear, and in the other case, the response increased on the surgical side). When we evaluated the absolute caloric responses of the operated ear only, we found no statistical difference between the pre- and postoperative values (P = .219). Early results of vertigo control and hearing outcomes were comparable with those in the literature. CONCLUSION: Endolymphatic sac surgery does not appear to be a vestibular destructive procedure, and it is a therapeutic alternative for patients with Ménière's disease who have failed medical treatment. This is important given the possibility of bilateral disease in some patients.

Cochlear implantation in organ transplantation.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Compared to immunocompetent patients, organ transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressant medications may experience higher rates of postoperative complications. This study was designed to retrospectively review the outcomes of cochlear implantation among organ transplant patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Five organ transplant patients received seven cochlear implantations at the University of Miami Ear Institute from January 1, 1992, until August 31, 2005. Inpatient and outpatient records were analyzed to identify healing problems, wound infections, and speech recognition after implantation. RESULTS: There were no healing problems, wound infections, or other complications noted among cochlear implant recipients who had also received organ transplantation. Open-set sentence discrimination as measured by the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT), City University of New York (CUNY) test, and/or Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) tests ranged from 46% to 89%. Open-set word recognition as measured by the Consonant Nucleus Consonant (CNC) or the Northwestern University number 6 (NU-6) test ranged from 26% to 64%. CONCLUSIONS: This series suggests that cochlear implantation can be safe and effective for solid organ transplant recipients on immunosuppressants, with discrimination performance within the expected ranges for cochlear implant patients

Revision cochlear implantation for facial nerve stimulation in otosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To find if patients experiencing postsurgical facial nerve stimulation caused by underlying disease process (ie, otosclerosis) can improve their hearing performance with their cochlear implant by reimplantation and by an optimal programming strategy. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Two cochlear otosclerosis patients with resistant facial nerve stimulation (FNS). Both patients were initially implanted with Nucleus 22 devices (Cochlear Corporation, Englewood, Colo) and they developed FNS after a period of use. Owing to the decreasing number of active electrodes, concurrent decreases in speech understanding occurred. INTERVENTIONS: Various programming approaches were used to address the FNS. Both subjects ultimately received Nucleus 24 devices. One was reimplanted in the same ear, and the other was implanted in the opposite ear. Both have been followed up for 8 months following the reimplantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cochlear implant programming levels, cochlear implant performance, and facial nerve stimulation. RESULTS: The FNS was managed for more than 3 years through optimized programming. However, the FNS progressed until performance dropped below acceptable levels. Reimplantation was believed to be the only option for improvement. After reimplantation and programming, both subjects showed immediate improvement in speech discrimination. One user increased his consonant-nucleus-consonant word score from 12% preoperatively to 42%, and the other's performance increased from 0% to 86%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that having more programming options with newer devices is critical in otosclerotic or ossified users who experience FNS. Also, reimplantation may be a useful tool to improve performance.

Cochlear implantation in a patient with profound hearing loss with the A1555G mitochondrial DNA mutation and no history of aminoglycoside exposure.

The A1555G mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) point mutation has classically been associated with sensorineural hearing loss in patients following aminoglycoside exposure. More recently, the mutation has been implicated in sensorineural hearing loss in patients without previous aminoglycoside use. In addition, cochlear implantation has been shown to be effective in the group of patients with prior aminoglycoside exposure but, to date, no case of cochlear implantation in a patient with the A1555G mutation and no prior exposure to aminoglycosides has been explicitly described in the literature. We report the case of an 80-year-old woman with the A1555G mtDNA mutation, a 35-year history of bilateral progressive hearing loss and no history of aminoglycoside exposure who underwent successful implantation of a Nucleus 24 Contour device at our institution. Post-operatively, the patient exhibited marked improvement in tests of auditory performance. We conclude that cochlear implantation can be an effective method to restore some sense of hearing in patients with the A1555G mtDNA mutation and sensorineural hearing loss.

Bilateral traumatic facial paralysis associated with unilateral abducens palsy: a case report.

Bilateral traumatic facial paralysis is a very rare clinical condition. Abducens palsy, associated with bilateral traumatic paralysis, is even rarer and has not been well described in the literature. In this report, a 24-year-old male, who developed immediate bilateral facial and right abducens paralyses following a motor vehicle accident, is presented. The patient was referred for neurotologic evaluation 22 days after the injury. Electroneurography (ENoG) demonstrated 100 per cent degeneration at the first examination and, correspondingly, electromyography showed no regeneration potentials. Using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), a longitudinal fracture on the right and a mixed-type fracture on the left were identified. The patient had good cochlear reserve on both sides. The decision for surgery was based not on ENoG, because of the delayed referral of the patient, but on the HRCT, which showed clear fracture lines on both sides. The middle cranial fossa approach for decompression of the right facial nerve was performed on the 55th day following the trauma, and a combined procedure using the middle cranial fossa and transmastoid approaches was applied for decompression of the left facial nerve on the 75th day following the trauma. On the right, there was dense fibrosis surrounding the geniculate ganglion and the proximal tympanic segment whereas, on the left, bone fragments impinging on the geniculate ganglion, dense fibrosis surrounding the geniculate ganglion, and a less extensive fibrotic tissue surrounding the pyramidal segment were encountered. There were no complications or hearing deterioration. At the one-year follow up, the patient had House-Brackmann (HB) grade 1 recovery on the right, and HB grade 2 recovery on the left side, and the abducens palsy regressed spontaneously. The middle cranial fossa approach and its combinations can be performed safely in bilateral temporal bone fractures as labyrinthine sparing procedures if done on separate occasions.

Dual ectopic thyroid: report of a case.

Dual ectopic thyroid is very rare. We report a case of dual ectopic thyroid in the lingual and infrahyoid areas in a 20-year-old female patient with no thyroid gland in its normal anatomical location. On physical examination, there was a 7 x 5 cm anterior midline neck swelling just below the hyoid bone and a 2 x 2 cm mass in the base of the tongue. Triiodothyronine (T(3)), thyroxine (T(4)), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were normal. A thyroid scan with technetium-99m sodium pertechnate confirmed dual ectopic thyroid with no iodine uptake in the normal anatomical location of the thyroid gland. The infrahyoid ectopic thyroid was surgically removed for cosmetic reasons, and the lingual thyroid, which was symptomatic, was left untouched. The importance of thyroid scanning in the evaluation of anterior midline neck swellings and treatment options are discussed.

Synchronous presentation of extramedullary plasmacytoma in the nasopharynx and the larynx.

Simultaneous extramedullary plasmacytoma of the nasopharynx and larynx is exceedingly rare; to the best of our knowledge, only 1 other case has been previously reported. We report a new case, which occurred in a 46-year-old woman. She was treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. At 2 years of follow-up, no evidence of recurrence or progression to multiple myeloma was noted. We discuss the clinical features and treatment of plasma cell neoplasms in general and their three variants in particular.

Contralateral labyrinthine concussion in temporal bone fractures.

In this case presentation, three cases of labyrinthine concussion in the opposite ears of patients who had unilateral traumatic temporal bone fractures with facial paralysis are reported. The first patient was a 30-year-old male who had a right-sided longitudinal temporal bone fracture and labyrinthine concussion showing pure sensorineural hearing loss with a characteristic notch of 60 dB at 4000 Hz on the left side. The second patient was a 42-year-old male who had a right-sided traumatic facial paralysis owing to a mixed-type temporal bone fracture and labyrinthine concussion, demonstrating pure sensorineural hearing loss reaching its peak of 50 dB at 4000 Hz on the left. The third patient was a 19-year-old male who had a left-sided mixed-type temporal bone fracture and a right labyrinthine concussion exhibiting pure sensorineural hearing loss reaching 60 dB at 4000 Hz. For their facial paralyses, all three patients underwent middle cranial fossa or combined approach operations. The labyrinthine concussion in these patients was managed expectantly. At their 1-year follow-up, it was observed that the hearing loss owing to labyrinthine concussion persisted. Although labyrinthine concussion is not a rare complication of head injuries, it has rarely been reported in the medical literature. The main symptoms of labyrinthine concussion are hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness. The diagnosis mainly relies on audiometric tests, which reveal characteristic tracings reminiscent of acoustic trauma.

An unusual cause of foreign-body sensation in the throat: corniculate cartilage subluxation.

Corniculate cartilage subluxation is a pathology that has not been reported in the medical literature. Causing vague pharyngeal symptoms, this disease entity may be overlooked or misdiagnosed as chronic nonspecific pharyngitis, globus pharyngis, or laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. A careful laryngoscopic examination is the key to detect this disorder. In this article, we present a 45-year-old patient with the complaints of foreign-body sensation in the throat, difficulty in swallowing solid food, and an urge to turn his head toward the left during the act of swallowing. His laryngeal examination revealed corniculate cartilage subluxation, and excision of the subluxated cartilage was performed by microlaryngoscopic surgery. The patient was free of his symptoms immediately after the operation and remained as such in the 6 months of follow-up.