Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang gubat) versus loratadine as treatment for allergic rhinitis: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To determine if Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang Gubat) decoction tea and placebo can improve the symptoms of mild intermittent allergic rhinitis in comparison to loratadine and control tea.METHODS:Design: Double-Blind, Randomized ControlledTrial Setting: Tertiary-Government Training HospitalParticipants: Twenty-four patients diagnosed with mild intermittent allergic rhinitis from October 2015 to July 2016 were randomly divided into a treatment group given Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang Gubat) decoction tea and placebo, and a control group given control tea and loratadine, both taken for 7 days. Patients underwent pre- and post-intervention evaluation by anterior rhinoscopy, Sino-nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT 22) Questionnaire and 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Data were encoded and subjected to statistical analysis using Mann Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.RESULTS: Age and gender of the treatment and control group participants were comparable. Prior to intervention, no differences in symptoms were noted between both groups on SNOT 22 and VAS scores. After intervention, no differences in symptoms were noted between the 2 groups on SNOT 22 and VAS scores either. Comparison of pre- (30.4 ± 17.3) and post- (7.2 ± 6.5) intervention mean SNOT 22 scores of the loratadine control group with pre- (32.5 ± 23.7) and post- (7.8 ± 10.4) intervention mean SNOT 22 scores of the Ehretia Microphylla treatment group showed significant improvement of symptoms in both groups. Likewise, comparison of pre- and post-intervention mean VAS scores of the loratadine control group and pre- and post-intervention mean VAS scores of the Ehretia Microphylla treatment group based on symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion and pruritus showed significant improvement of symptoms in both groups (p-values of CONCLUSION: Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang Gubat) decoction tea may improve symptoms of allergic rhinitis (sneezing, rhinorrhea, pruritus and nasal congestion) and be taken as an alternative to loratadine in patients with mild intermittent allergic rhinitis. Further clinical trials with more participants may provide stronger evidence for this conclusion.

Clinical profile of patients with laryngotracheal stenosis in a tertiary government hospital

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To describe the clinical profile of patients with laryngotracheal stenosis over a 7-year period and discuss strategies for its prevention.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>    Design:</strong> Retrospective Case Series<br /><strong>    Setting:</strong> Tertiary Government Hospital<br /><strong>  Participants:</strong> Thirteen (13) patients with laryngotracheal stenosis confirmed by laryngoscopy and/or bronchoscopy.<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Twenty-one patients were evaluated for laryngotracheal stenosis from January 2008 to June  2015, but only 13 with complete data were included in this study. Of the 13 patients, nine (69.2%) belonged to the pediatric age group. Ten (77%) were males and three (23%) were females. Laryngotracheal  stenosis  following endotracheal  tube  (ET)  intubation  was  seen in 11 (84.6%) while 2 had thyroid masses and no  history  of  prior  ET  intubation.  Presenting symptoms or reasons for referral were wheezing (n=4), stridor (n=4), failure to decannulate the tracheostomy tube (n=3), and dyspnea (n=2). Duration of ET intubation was four to 60 days. The highest frequency of ET re-intubation was 5 times. Among those intubated, stenosis was glottic in one, subglottic in five and tracheal in five patients. Three had Cotton-Myer grade I stenosis, two had grade II, three had grade III and three had grade IV stenosis. Those with thyroid masses had tracheal stenosis.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Strategies  for  prevention  of  laryngotracheal  stenosis  should include  routine airway  endoscopy  for  patients  with  longstanding  neck  masses  and  for  those  with  prolonged ET  intubation,  for  whom  the  option  of  early  prophylactic  tracheostomy  is  worth  considering. Otherwise, immediate post-extubation endoscopy may facilitate documentation and appropriate<br />intervention.</p>

Spontaneous passage of ingested coin in children

@#<p><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> To determine the factors related to spontaneous passage of ingested coins in children.<br /><br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Design:</strong> Retrospective study<br /><br /><strong>Setting: </strong>Tertiary Government Hospital<br /><br /><strong>Subjects: </strong>The records of 136 pediatric patients with a history of coin ingestion seen at the emergency room department of our institution between December  2012 and May 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data such as age and gender of the patient were recorded, including the type of coin, location of coin in the esophagus, time of ingestion and time of spontaneous passage into the stomach (for those that passed spontaneously).<br /><br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Spontaneous passage in 27 out of 136 pediatric patients with radiographic evidence of a round radio-opaque foreign body initially located in the esophagus eventually passed into the stomach or intestines, accounting for 20% of the total number of cases. Coin ingestion was more common in patients aged 5 to 6 years (33% of cases), with slight male predominance (58%). One peso coins were the most common type of coin ingested, however only 24% of these spontaneously passed. The rate of spontaneous passage was highest in smaller sized coins (5 and 25 centavo coin) compared to larger sized coins (5 peso). Proximally located coins, albeit more common than middle and distally located coins, were the least likely to spontaneously pass (12%). Average time interval from ingestion to passage of the coin was 12 hours.<br /><br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Many factors are related to spontaneous passage of foreign bodies in the esophagus. The age of the patient, type of coin ingested, and initial location of the coin in the esophagus should be considered. Older patients, smaller sized coins, and distally located coins have the highest probability of spontaneous passage beyond the esophagus. A 12-hour observation period may be considered in patients with single esophageal coin ingestion.</p>

Otorhinolaryngologic manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus infection in Manila, the Philippines

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To determine the prevalence of otorhinolaryngologic (ENT) manifestations in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection seen in our institutions and to determine the association of these manifestations with age, sex, CD4 count and antiretroviral treatment.<br /><br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Study Design:</strong> Cross-sectional study<br /><br /><strong>Setting:</strong> Two Tertiary Government Hospitals<br /><strong><br />Subjects:</strong> Adult patients (>19 years old) confirmed to be HIV- infected  were seen at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center and San Lazaro Hospital from February to July 2014. A data sheet regarding ENT manifestations was filled upon examination. Age, sex, CD4 count and antiretroviral treatment data were recorded. Independent samples t-test was used to determine age association with manifestations. Fischer's exact test was used to determine association of sex and manifestations. Chi-square test of independence was used to determine association of CD4 count and antiretroviral treatment with manifestations. Association was considered statistically significant if p< 0.05.<br /><br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Three hundred one (301) patients participated with 287 males (95.3%) and 14 females (4.7%). The mean age was 31.7 ± 8. One hundred ninety seven (197 or 65.4%) had ENT manifestations. The most common areas of manifestations came from the oral cavity-oropharyngeal area (n=104, 37%), nasal cavity-nasopharyngeal area (n=73, 26%) and ear (n=43, 15%). The most frequent manifestations were cervical lymphadenopathy, aphthous stomatitis and acute rhinitis. There was no significant difference in the age (p=0.31) and sex (p=0.15) of patients with and without manifestations. However, there was a direct association of manifestations with low CD4 count (p<0.001) and inverse association with antiretroviral treatment (p=0.036).</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Our findings emphasize the importance of screening for ENT manifestations, regular CD4 monitoring and enrollment to antiretroviral therapy in persons with HIV. Baseline otorhinolaryngologic examination upon HIV diagnosis and prior to initiating treatment should be followed by regular surveillance. Conversely, physicians should also be aware that patients with ENT manifestation may have HIV infection.</p>

Unilateral pedunculated polyp of the palatine tonsil

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> To report a benign tonsillar lesion presenting as a pedunculated polyp and discuss its diagnosis and management.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Design:</strong> Case Report<br /><strong>Setting:</strong> Tertiary Government Hospital<br /><strong>Patient:</strong> One<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A 14-year-old lad presented with a seven-year history of an elongated right tonsillar mass without  associated  bleeding, pain,  dysphagia or obstructive sleep  apnea.  Physical  examination revealed  a  pedunculated  mass  about  2  x  1  x  0.5cm  in  size  located  in  the  superior  pole.  After unilateral  tonsillectomy, histopathological  examination  revealed  lymphangectatic  lipomatous fibrotic polyp.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Lymphangiomatous polyp of the palatine tonsils  is  an  unusual benign lesion of the head and neck. These  are  commonly  present  as  unilateral,  polypoidal  mass  that  cannot be clinically  differentiated  from  other  benign  tonsillar  lesions. Tonsillectomy  is  the  recommended surgical  approach  for  both  diagnostic  and  therapeutic  purposes.  Histopathological  study  must be done to confirm diagnosis.</p>

Intraoperative distance between the main trunk of the facial nerve and surgical landmarks used in parotidectomy: A prospective study

@#p style=text-align: justify;strongOBJECTIVE:/strong To determine the mean distance of the main trunk of the facial nerve from two commonly employed surgical landmarks (tragal pointer and tympanomastoid suture line) among a sample a Filipino adults undergoing parotidectomy.METHODS:br /Design:/strong Prospective descriptive studybr /strongSetting: /strongTertiary Government Training Studybr /strongSubjects:/strong 22 patients without facial paralysis undergoing surgery for parotid neoplasms were evaluated intraoperatively.RESULTS/strong: The main trunk of the facial nerve was found to be 9.0 mm (standard deviation of 2.8 mm) from the tragal pointer and 6.1 mm (standard deviation of 2.0 mm) from the tympanomastoid suture line.CONCLUSION/strong: The mean distance from the main trunk of the facial nerve to two of the most commonly utilized landmarks in identification of the nerve during parotidectomy was 9.0 mm (standard deviation of 2.8 mm) from the tragal pointer and 6.1 mm (standard deviation of 2.0 mm) from the tympanomastoid suture line. These may serve as reference values for surgeons in safer identification and preservation of the facial nerve during parotidectomy.

Drain versus no drain after thyroidectomy: A preliminary prospective randomized controlled trial

@#p style=text-align: justify;strongOBJECTIVE:/strong To evaluate the necessity of placing a drain in post-thyroidectomy patients, we aimed to determine whether insertion of a passive drain as compared to no drain in post-thyroidectomy patients would significantly affect hematoma formation, wound infection, wound dehiscence and length of hospital stay.METHODS:br /Design:/strong Prospective randomized controlled trialbr /strongSetting:/strong Tertiary government training hospitalbr / strongSubjects:/strong Patients who underwent thyroidectomy for various pathologies were divided into two postoperative treatment arms: one group with insertion of a passive drain, and another group without a drain. Hematoma, wound infection, wound dehiscence and length of hospital stay were the outcomes measured per treatment arm.RESULTS:/strong A total of 66 patients were evaluated. There were 54 females (81.81%) and 12 males (18.18%). The mean age for the drain group was 44.88 years and 43.67 years for the no drain group. Four patients developed complications in the drain group and two developed complications in the no drain group. The rate of complications between both groups was not statistically significant. The mean hospital stay of the drain group was 3.15 days which in the no drain group was 2.51 days. The difference in length of hospital stay was statistically significant.CONCLUSIONS:/strong There was no difference in the development of complications among the drain and no drain group. Thyroidectomy without surgical drains was associated with a significant reduction in hospital stay compared to thyroidectomy with routine placement of drains./p

Transorbital removal of foreign body in the sphenoid sinus

@#OBJECTIVES: To report a case of foreign lodged within the sphenoid sinus and its extraction.METHODS:Design: Case report Setting: Tertiary Government Hospital Patient: OneRESULTS: An 11-year-old girl was hit in the eye by an unknown object from an improvised slingshot. She had loss of vision of the left eye and headache without loss of consciousness. A plain craniofacial Computed Tomography (CT) scan showed a round opaque foreign body abutting the left sphenoid sinus, left posterior ethmoid cells and medial aspect of the left orbital region with adjacent soft tissue densities extending into the apparently ruptured, irregular left globe. The left posterior part of the lamina papyracea was not visualized probably fractured or ruptured. Transorbital enucleation of the left eye and endoscopy-assisted removal of the foreign body (a glass marble) were performed with no intra-operative and post - operative complications.CONCLUSION:Foreign body of the sphenoid sinus is a rare condition. Adequate imaging is important for localization and planning the optimal surgical approach. Endoscopic guidance may aid in extraction.

Intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma with temporal bone extension

Objective@#To present a rare case of facial schwannoma manifesting as a parotid mass and discuss its diagnosis and treatment. @*Methods@#Design: Case Report Setting: Tertiary Government Hospital Patient: One @*Results@#A 48-year-old female was seen for a 2-year progressive left hemifacial paralysis and a 5-month gradually enlarging left infraauricular mass with episodes of tinnitus but intact hearing and balance. Physical examination showed a left-sided House Brackmann grade VI facial paralysis and a 5 x 4 x 3 cm soft, ill-defined, slightly movable, nontender, left infraauricular mass. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 5 cm heterogeneouslyenhancing lobulated mass centered within the deep lobe of the left parotid gland extending to the left mastoid, with facial nerve involvement. A diagnosis of a facial nerve tumor, probably a schwannoma, was entertained. Pure tone audiometry revealed normal hearing thresholds for both ears with dips at 6-8 KHz on the left. The patient underwent total parotidectomy with facial nerve tumor resection via transmastoid approach, with simultaneous facial – hypoglossal nerve anastomosis reconstruction. Histopathologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of a schwannoma. Postoperative facial function was Grade VI. Hearing and hypoglossal nerve function were preserved. @*Conclusion@#A progressive hemifacial paralysis of chronic duration with or without the presence of an infra-auricular mass should raise the suspicion of a facial nerve tumor. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is valuable since intraparotid facial nerve schwannomas are mostly diagnosed intraoperatively when the neoplasm and the nerve are exposed and determined to be contiguous. The clinician should be aware that not all parotid masses are salivary gland in origin.