Management of otogene extracranial complications in children and adolescents: report of 35 cases over 10 years.

OBJECTIVE: Medical management of exocranial otogenic complications represents a challenge for a medical system of a country in general, especially for ENT services. The goal of this study is to find some answers on demographic data, clinical symptoms and signs, diagnostics, and especially therapy for these complications in young patients. METHOD: The study is retrospective, performed in the ENT clinic of the University Clinical Center of Kosova in Prishtina and covers 10 years (from 01.06.2000 to 01.06.2010) and includes all young aged patients (1-18 years) hospitalized because of exocranial otogenic complications. RESULTS: From a total of 35 patients, male were 22 (63%) and females 13 (37%). The commonest complications were: mastoiditis in 18 (51.4%) and subperiosteal mastoidal abscess in 12 cases (34%) than rarest complications were: Bezold's abscess in 2 cases, facial nerve paresis, labyrinthitis, and combined complication one case each. Diagnostics of these cases were based on the clinical appearance, laboratory analyses, and clinical imaging. Treatment of these patients was surgical, medical, and combined: 3 of the medical therapy only (intravenous antibiotics), and 32 others were treated surgically: cortical mastoidectomy in 16 (45%) of cases, mastoidectomy and aeration tube insertion in 6 (17%) and antrotomy in 3 (8.5%) of cases. None of these series of patients died and none of them had permanent sequels. CONCLUSION: Timely diagnostics and adequate treatment of exocranial otogenic complications made it possible that our results can be comparable with the results of other referent centers cited in the recent literature.

Rigid tracheobronchoscopy in the management of airway foreign bodies: 10 years experience in Kosovo.

OBJECTIVES: To review the incidence of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in the population of Kosovo and to evaluate the clinical features and management of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration during a 10-year period. SETTING: Tertiary medical institution, ENT/Head and Neck Surgery Clinic, University Clinical Center, Prishtina, Kosovo. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration who underwent rigid tracheobronchoscopy between January 1994 and December 2003. RESULTS: During a 10-year period, 244 rigid tracheobronchoscopy procedures were performed when foreign body aspiration was suspected. In 182 patients (75%), a foreign body was found and extirpated. Of these, 107 (59%) were male and 75 (41%) were female; 124 patients (68%) were aged 0-3 years and 36 (20%) were aged 4-7 years. The most commonly extirpated foreign bodies were peanuts (30% of cases) followed by beans (22.5%) and corn kernels (9%). Of 176 plain chest radiographs, 65% showed no signs of foreign bodies. Two patients (1.1%) died as result of complications related to foreign body aspiration. CONCLUSION: Rigid bronchoscopy represents a safe and effective tool in the management of foreign body aspiration. However, the high percentage of false-negative results on chest radiography in our series warrants further investigation.