Long-Term Follow-Up of a Case of Probable Aspergillus Skull Base Osteomyelitis With Galactomannan Test and Literature Review.

We report a probable case of Aspergillus basicranial infection diagnosed by pathogenic serological examination presenting atypical initial manifestations, and highlight the importance of serological examination to avoid treatment delay and disease management. An 84-year-old diabetic patient presented with right peripheral nerve palsy, intolerable otalgia, hearing loss, dysphagia, hoarseness, and bucking. The patient was diagnosed a probable Aspergillus skull base osteomyelitis with cranial neuritis and meningitis of central nervous system. Galactomannan test was used in combination with 1-3-ß-D-glucan and magnetic resonance imaging to follow-up during the continuous treatment of voriconazole. To date, the patient has remained in clinical remission for over 39 months but the drug cannot be stopped safely.

Differences in hearing recovery following intratympanic alone or intravenous dexamethasone with rescue intratympanic steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A randomised trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate hearing improvement at different frequencies and the safety of intratympanic (IT) and intravenous (IV) administration of dexamethasone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). METHODS: SSNHL patients were randomly divided into two groups within 72 hours after onset and received 24 days of dexamethasone therapy. Group A received IT dexamethasone once every other day for 24 days. Group B received IV dexamethasone for 12 days, followed by IT dexamethasone once every other day for the following 12 days. Hearing recovery and side effects were compared. RESULTS: Subgroup analysis was performed to look for variation in hearing improvement in high frequency, low frequency and overall hearing at different time points. There was no evidence of a difference in hearing outcomes between IT dexamethasone and sequential IV plus IT treatments. Side effects of steroids were observed within 90 days after treatment. The local adverse effects of IT injection were mild. The systemic side effects in group B were more serious than those in group A. CONCLUSIONS: IT dexamethasone was safer than IV dexamethasone, and there was no evidence of a difference in hearing outcomes between IT dexamethasone and sequential IV plus IT treatments. It is necessary to make individualised treatment decisions according to the patient's condition.