Aural Myiasis in an Infant.

Myiasis is the parasitic invasion of tissues and organs of human beings by fly larvae. When ear is invaded by the parasitic larvae of flies, this condition is called aural myiasis. Wohlfahrtia magnifica is frequently encountered species in aural myiasis. The authors report a 4-month-old infant from a rural area with aural myiasis caused by W magnifica.

Pediatric Type 1 Cartilage Tympanoplasty: Comparison between Graft Success Rates and Hearing Results in Adults.

OBJECTIVE: It is an ongoing debate whether tympanoplasty should be performed in the pediatric age group. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the anatomical and functional outcomes of type I cartilage tympanoplasty in children and adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The file records of patients who underwent type 1 cartilage tympanoplasty were retrospectively reviewed. In total, 133 patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty for chronic otitis media were included. Tragal cartilage grafts were used in all patients. The patients were divided into two groups: pediatric (age≤16 years, n=54) and adult (age>18 years, n=79) groups. The graft success rates and hearing results between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The graft success rate was 90.2% (120/133) in the study group. At the end of the 24-month follow-up, the graft was intact in 48 of the 54 (88.9%) patients in the pediatric group and 72 of the 79 patients in the adult group (91.1%) (p=0.769). The functional success rate (postoperative air-bone gap<20 dB) obtained in the study group was 90.2% (120/133). The functional success rate was 88.9% (48/54) in the pediatric group and 91.1% (72/79) in the adult group (p=0.255). CONCLUSION: The graft success rates and hearing results obtained with cartilage grafts are similar in children and adults. Therefore, cartilage grafts may be safely used in pediatric patients, similar to their use in adults.

Sudden Pediatric Hearing Loss: Comparing the Results of Combined Treatment (Intratympanic Dexamethasone and Systemic Steroids) With Systemic Steroid Treatment Alone.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare hearing improvements obtained with combined intratympanic and systemic steroid therapy, and systemic steroid therapy alone in pediatric patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: Pediatric patients with SSHL. INTERVENTIONS: The patients were divided into two groups, based on the method of steroid administration: Group 1 (systemic therapy group, n = 23) was treated with oral methylprednisolone alone whereas Group 2 (combination therapy group, n = 26) was treated with combination of oral methylprednisolone and intratympanic dexamethasone injections. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pre- and post-treatment audiograms were compared with pure-tone averages (PTAs) in each group. Two treatment groups were also compared. The final hearing assessment was performed 4 weeks after completion of the treatment. RESULTS: The mean PTAs before and after the treatment were 61.86 ±â€Š23.99 and 42.65 ±â€Š32.69 dB in Group 1 (p = 0.001), and 70.07 ±â€Š29.74 and 38.85 ±â€Š32.28 dB in Group 2 (p = 0.001). Pure-tone gain was 20.00 ±â€Š15.02 dB in Group 1, and 31.69 ±â€Š28.29 dB in Group 2. Comparison of two groups for post-treatment PTA and pure-tone gains did not yield any statistically significant differences (p = 0.388 and p = 0.132, respectively). CONCLUSION: Significant hearing improvement may be obtained with use of systemic steroids alone, or simultaneous administration of systemic and intratympanic steroids in pediatric patients with SSHL. Although we did not have a control group, two treatment options appear to offer similar hearing improvements in the pediatric age group higher than the rates obtained with placebo when previous studies in the literature are taken into account.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: Is antiviral treatment really necessary?

OBJECTIVES: It was aimed to investigate the necessity of antiviral agents in the ISSHL treatment. METHODS: In this study, the patients, diagnosed with sudden hearing loss and admitted in the first 7 days of hearing loss were divided into two groups; a combination therapy was administered to one of the groups, and famciclovir was administered to the other group as an antiviral treatment in addition to the combined therapy. Both groups were compared in terms of levels of recovery. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found in the recovery rates between the two groups (p=0.7). CONCLUSION: In this study, the additional antiviral treatment was found to have no effect on the remission rates in patients with ISSHL treated with combined therapy.

A Rare Cause of Acute Respiratory Distress: Cervical Ranula.

Plunging or cervical ranula is a mucus extravasation pseudocyst arising from the sublingual gland that is located below the mylohyoid muscle. Clinically, if large enough, cervical ranulas can affect swallowing, speech, chewing, and even breathing. The acute presentation of ranulas, which are clinically known as slow-growing, painless masses, is rare. In this study, we present a case of cervical ranula that grew in a short period of 3 days and resulted in respiratory distress and that was operated in our clinic.