Submasseteric abscess: A rare head and neck abscess.

The objective of the article is to highlight and make people aware of a rare abscess which is often missed or misdiagnosed. As only a few cases have been reported, the authors feel that reporting such a case would help in proper management of the disease. We are presenting a 6.5-year-old male child with 3 weeks history of right facial swelling in the parotid region, with low-grade fever and trismus. Submasseteric abscess is a rare abscess which is often misdiagnosed as a parotid abscess or parotitis. Only a few cases have been reported. The cause is mostly dental in origin. Intravenous antibiotics often fail to alleviate the symptoms as this is a closed space and needs prompt drainage. Therefore, awareness of this complication of dental infections is vital for proper diagnosis and timely management.

Efficacy of hydrocortisone acetate/hyaluronidase vs triamcinolone acetonide/hyaluronidase in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis.

Background & objective: Oral submucous fibrosis is a common premalignant condition caused by chewing arecanut and other irritants in various forms. Its medical treatment is not yet fully standardized, although the optimal doses of its medical treatment is in the form of hydrocortisone acetate combined with hyaluronidase. The problem with the prevailing treatment was injections at weekly interval. In this study we compared the efficacy of hydrocortisone acetate and hyaluronidase at weekly interval versus triamcinolone acetonide and hyaluronidase at 15 days interval. Methods: Patients of OSMF (100) were randomly divided into two groups A and B. Group A patients received combination of hydrocortisone acetate (1.5 ml)/hyaluronidase (1500 IU) at weekly interval submucosally in pterygomandibular raphe, half dose on each side for 22 wk. Group B patients received combination of triamcinolone acetonide (10 mg/ml)/ hyaluronidase (1500 IU) at 15 days interval for 22 wk. Treatment outcome was evaluated on the basis of improvement in symptom score, sign score and histopathological improvement. Student’s ‘t’ test was applied for comparing the results. Results: No statistically significant difference in symptom score, sign score and histopathological improvement was seen between the two groups. Interpretation & conclusion: Treatment regimen of group B was more convenient to the patients because less number of visits required and cheap. No side effects were seen. A follow up study is required to see long term effects.

Pre and post-treatment histopathological changes in atrophic rhinitis.

Atrophic rhinitis is a chronic debilitating nasal mucosal disease of unknown etiology. It is characterized by progressive nasal mucosal atrophy, crusting, fetor and enlargement of the nasal space with paradoxical congestion. The disease induces bilateral nasal obstruction and a persistent foul odour of which the patient and by-standers are painfully aware. Primary atrophic rhinitis has decreased markedly in incidence in the last century. However the prevalence still remains high in developing countries like India. Histopathological features allow this entity to be distinguished from chronic non-specific hypertrophic rhinitis, which may have a cell-mediated immune basis underlying its pathogenesis. Histopathological examination of primary atrophic rhinitis was performed on biopsy material from 30 patients. Mucosal atrophy, squamous metaplasia, and chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate were found to characterize this disease.