Effect of betahistine treatment on dizziness and anxiety symptoms of BPPV patients.

Background: Patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) may experience significant deterioration in their quality of life due to dizziness and anxiety symptoms. Aim: To evaluate the effect of betahistine add-on therapy on dizziness and anxiety symptoms of BPPV patients. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four patients who were diagnosed as having posterior canal BPPV were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment regimen: Group 1 included 42 subjects who were treated with the Epley maneuver alone and Group 2 included 42 subjects who received betahistine 48 mg/day for ten days with the Epley maneuver. Dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) were evaluated at the time of diagnosis and at the control examination on the tenth day. Results: The mean before and after treatment DHI scores were 38.8 ± 14.6 and 5.47 ± 6.4 for Group 1 (P < 0.001), and 45.8 ± 21.1 and 10.3 ± 12.9 for Group 2 (P < 0.001). The mean before and after treatment BAI scores were 11.8 ± 6 and 1.33 ± 1.8 for Group 1 (P < 0.001), and 13.6 ± 8.3 and 2.9 ± 3.8 for Group 2 (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the before and after treatment DHI and BAI score differences of the two groups (P = 0.27, P = 0.43). Conclusion: Canalith repositioning maneuvers (CRMs) should be the main treatment modality in the management of BPPV patients and adding on betahistine treatment to CRMs have no impact in the relieving of dizziness and anxiety symptoms.

End-to-end anastomosis in the management of laryngotracheal defects.

OBJECTIVE: To present clinical experience and surgical outcomes of end-to-end anastomosis in the management of laryngotracheal stenosis and tracheal defects following invasive thyroid malignancy resection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of 14 patients with laryngotracheal stenosis and tracheal invasive thyroid malignancy. All patients underwent tracheal or cricotracheal resection and primary end-to-end anastomosis. RESULTS: Length of stenosis was 1.7-4 cm. Stenosis was classified as Myer and Cotton grade II in 4 patients, grade III in 6 and grade IV in 2. Surgical procedures included tracheotracheal end-to-end anastomosis (n = 4), cricotracheal anastomosis (n = 2) and thyrotracheal anastomosis (n = 6). Patients with invasive thyroid malignancy underwent segmental resection of the involved segment with tumour-free margins, and tracheal or cricotracheal end-to-end anastomosis. Successful decannulation was achieved in 13 patients (93 per cent). Post-operative complications were: wound infection (n = 1), subcutaneous emphysema (n = 1), temporary unilateral vocal fold palsy (n = 1), granulation tissue development (n = 1), and restenosis (n = 2). CONCLUSION: End-to-end anastomosis can be used safely and successfully in the management of advanced laryngotracheal stenosis and wide laryngotracheal defects. Greater success can be achieved using previously described surgical rules and laryngotracheal release manoeuvres.