A recovery from enhancement of activation in auditory cortex of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE: We previously reported enhanced activation of auditory cortex in patients with bilateral chronic inner-ear hearing loss. To determine whether this enhancement can exhibit a short-term alteration, we measured auditory evoked magnetic fields (AEFs) in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) in the acute phase (AP) and recovery phases (RPs). METHODS: We recorded AEFs in two unilateral ISSHL patients at three time points (AP, RP1, and RP2) using a whole-head neuromagnetometer. Tone bursts of 1 kHz were presented monaurally to the affected and healthy ear at four different intensities (40-70 dB HL). RESULTS: Both patients showed the enhancement of N100 m moment at AP and not at RPs in response to the affected ear stimulation, and stronger N100 m moment in ipsilateral than contralateral hemisphere in response to the healthy ear stimulation at AP. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancement of N100 m amplitude occurs in ISSHL patients and disappears on the scale of days. Enhancement of activity in the auditory cortex derived from inner-ear hearing loss can thus exhibit short-term change. SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study provide first evidence for a recovery from enhancement of activation in the auditory cortex following injury of peripheral hearing organ.

Relief of post-tonsillectomy pain by release of lidocaine from fibrin glue.

OBJECTIVES: Pain inevitably develops after resection of the palatine tonsil (tonsillectomy). Therefore, we applied a mixture of lidocaine and fibrin glue to the tonsillar fossae immediately after tonsillectomy and evaluated its analgesic effects. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective randomized trial. METHODS: Seventy-four consecutive patients who had undergone tonsillectomy by the same surgeon (S.K.) were allocated by the sealed envelope method into three groups. After routine tonsillectomy, the operation was terminated in group A (control group), but the bilateral tonsillar fossae were covered with 1 mL fibrin glue using CaCl2 as solution to dissolve thrombin in group B and using 4% lidocaine chloride instead of CaCl2 in group C. No significant difference was observed in age or sex among the three groups. Analgesic effects were evaluated in terms of the postoperative days required until the patient began to eat normally and the postoperative days on which the patient desired analgesic administration. RESULTS: The mean postoperative days until the patient began to eat normally were 4.22 in group A and 3.78 in group B, showing no significant difference, but 2.83 in group C, being significantly shorter (P <.05). The mean postoperative days on which analgesic administration was necessary were 4.56 in group A and 4.91 in group B, showing no significant difference, but 2.88 in group C, being significantly shorter (P <.05). CONCLUSION: This method can be readily performed, requires no special treatment, and appears to have adequate pain-relieving effects.

A case report of FSH-producing nasal ectopic pituitary adenoma extending to the frontal cranial fossa.

We report the first case of an ectopic pituitary adenoma in the nasal cavity that produced follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). A 60-year-old man complaining of left nasal bleeding had a polypoid tumor in the left nasal cavity. Findings of computed tomographic scanning and magnetic resonance imaging showed that the tumor originated from the olfactory cleft, occupied the nasal cavity, and extended to the frontal cranial fossa. Results of histologic examination suggested ectopic pituitary adenoma. Magnetic resonance imaging results showed the pituitary gland to be normal. Electron microscopy findings demonstrated a large number of secretory granules in the tumor cells that were positive for FSH on immunohistochemical analyses. Serum gonadotropin levels were normal, and no clinical signs of hypersecretory syndrome were noted. The above findings led us to establish the diagnosis of FSH-producing ectopic pituitary adenoma. The patient underwent craniofacial resection of the tumor followed by an uneventful recovery. The pathologic findings and clinical course of the case were comparable to those of FSH-producing adenomas arising from the pituitary gland.

Transnasal bamboo foreign body lodged in the sphenoid sinus.

Transnasal sphenoid sinus foreign body is a rare condition. We report a very rare case of transnasal bamboo foreign body lodged in the sphenoid sinus without damages to the orbital wall or skull base. A 69-year-old man fell down onto a bamboo stick, which snapped after penetrating his face through the right nostril. CT demonstrated that the bamboo stick stuck into the middle meatus, penetrated the ethmoid sinus just medial to the lamina papyracea and reached to the sphenoid sinus. No abnormal findings were detected in the orbit or skull base. The foreign body was removed from the nasal cavity without any complication. The endoscope was useful for evaluating possible injuries in the orbit and skull base and confirming the absence of residual foreign bodies.

[Fatal pulmonary embolism developing after tympanoplasty: a case report and incidence of pulmonary embolism at Toyooka Hospital].

We report a case of fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) developing after tympanoplasty. A 69-year-old woman underwent type III tympanoplasty for a middle ear cholesteatoma under general anesthesia. Operating time was 3 hours 27 minutes and anesthesia lasted 5 hours 9 minutes. The next morning, 14 hours 5 minutes after returning to the recovery room, the patient lost consciousness while getting out of bed. Although consciousness recovered transiently, she went into shock with cardiopulmonary arrest. Heart beat was regained after resuscitation with artificial respiration and cardiac massage, but her blood pressure was unstable. Echocardiography revealed right ventricular overload and pulmonary hypertension. Because PE was suspected, thrombolytic therapy was conducted to stabilize hemodynamics. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed bilateral pulmonary thromboembolism. The patient died of hypoxic encephalopathy 23 days after PE onset. We have seen 40 cases of PE at our hospital in the last 70 months. Five patients developed PE after surgery with a postoperative occurrence rate of 0.03% (5/16, 277), and 3 of them died. Enhanced CT in 19 of 21 cases (90.5%) before or just after the start of therapy for PE was useful in establishing the diagnosis. Although PE is rare in the field of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery, it may develop rapidly after any type of surgery resulting in a fatal outcome. It is thus important to establish diagnosis early and prevent such serious complications.

Dermal thymus: case report and review of the literature.

An aberrant thymus is not uncommon; it is usually located in the subcutaneous tissue and attaches to deeper structures, but it rarely occurs within the dermis (dermal thymus). We report on an 8-month-old male infant with a dermal thymus. He was born with a skin tumor on the right side of the neck, located just over the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The tumor was soft, dark red, and elevated. It measured 10 by 21 mm in diameter. The surface was erosive and partially covered with crust. The infant also had a unilateral cleft lip and a deformity of the bilateral auricles. Because of recurrent episodes of infection, the tumor was resected and histologically diagnosed as a dermal thymus.

A case of ectopic thyroid in lateral neck associated with Graves' disease.

Thyroid follicles in the lateral position of the neck are usually thought to represent the metastasis of thyroid carcinoma. Here we present a case of a 28-year-old woman with accessory ectopic thyroid associated with Graves' disease. Despite a history of Graves' disease poorly controlled with large dose propylthiouracil she was found to be pregnant and artificial abortion was planned. Thyroid scintigraphy was carried out, which indicated an uptake into the region above the left lobe as well as into both lobes of the thyroid gland. In order to control hyperthyroidism and to exclude the possibility of metastasis, total thyroidectomy with tumor resection was performed before the artificial abortion. Pathological examinations of the thyroid gland indicated findings compatible with Graves' disease. The lateral neck mass was revealed to be composed of nonneoplastic thyroid tissue, showing similar histological findings to those of the goiter, which were consistent with Graves' disease. Taken together with several previous reports, it appears that there are some cases with lateral ectopic thyroid tissue, whose pathogenetic mechanism remains to be elucidated.