[Clinical and radiological classification of otosclerosis]. / Kliniko-rentgenologicheskaya klassifikatsiya otoskleroza.

The article presents various classifications of forms of otosclerosis (OS), which change with the development of diagnostic methods. At the same time, according to the literature, a unified OS classification has not yet been adopted. All existing classifications are imperfect to some extent. The classification of clinical forms of OS according to TPA data makes it possible to determine the indications for surgical treatment and to suggest its possible effect, but not the localization of OS foci. X-ray classifications of localization of OS foci indicate their diversity, distribution, and do not always correlate with the type of hearing loss. At the same time, modern diagnostics of OS should be based on audiological data, localization of foci and their density according to the results of X-ray methods of examination. Based on the examination and treatment of 1532 patients with various forms of OS, a modern clinical and radiological classification of the disease is proposed, based precisely on these provisions. This classification, in our opinion, will improve the quality of diagnosis of various forms of OS, will allow to differentiate the tactics of treating patients with this disease to stabilize hearing loss, indications for surgical treatment, suggest its effectiveness with a reduction in the risk of surgical failures and possible further rehabilitation of the patient.

[Neuroendocrine adenoma middle ear]. / Neiroendokrinnye adenomy srednego ukha.

Neuroendocrine adenoma (NEA) is an extremely rare pathology and accounts for less than 2% of all ear tumors. The article provides an overview of the diagnosis, classification, treatment methods and algorithm for monitoring patients with NEA of the middle ear. 6 cases of NEA of the tympanic cavity are described in detail, which were diagnosed and treated in GBUZ NIKIO named after N.N. L.I. Sverzhevsky DZM for the last 5 years. Diagnosis of NEA of the middle ear is possible when performing high-resolution multislice computed tomography of the temporal bones and magnetic resonance imaging with contrast enhancement, however, the neoplasm can be verified only after a histological examination with the determination of the immunophenotype. Differential diagnosis of NEA of the tympanic cavity with other processes of the middle ear must be carried out at each stage of the diagnostic path. Surgical treatment, depending on the volume of education, allows you to remove it completely and improve the auditory function.

[The effectiveness of transtympanic use of dexamethasone 4 mg in Meniere's disease, severe and moderate course of the disease]. / Effektivnost' transtimpanal'nogo primeneniya deksametazona 4 mg pri bolezni Men'era, tyazhelom i srednetyazhelom techenii zabolevaniya.

The results of transtympanic administration of 4 mg dexamethasone in 37 patients with moderate and severe Meniere's disease are presented. The endolymphatic hydrops was detected in all inner ear structures with predominant accumulation in vestibule and semicircular canals by MRI-visualization before therapy. After 1 month of 4 mg dexamethasone transtympanic therapy the hydrops degree decreased. Daily transtympanic administration of 4 mg dexamethasone for a month leads to reduction of vertigo attacks duration and expression in 92% of cases (follow-up period 24 months) and can be considered when conservative therapy is ineffective before destructive surgical interventions.

[Auditory tube dysfunction in children. Part 2]. / Disfunktsiya slukhovoi truby v detskom vozraste. Chast' 2.

The presented literature review examines in detail the methods for diagnosing the auditory tube, the history of development of studies of the Eustachian tube and the treatment of its dysfunction in children. The issue of dysfunction of the auditory tube as one of the causes of the formation of chronic hearing loss in childhood is increasingly being identified because of the rapid development of technologies and methods for examining patients. Aim is to study the multiple etiologic factors of the disease and the need for an integrated approach to the study of this condition.

[Two-year experience in the balloon dilatation treatment of children with persistent auditory tube dysfunction]. / Dvukhletnii opyt lecheniya detei so stoikoi disfunktsiei slukhovoi truby metodom ballonnoi dilatatsii.

OBJECTIVE: Is to study the effectiveness of the of balloon dilatation of the auditory tube in children with persistent dysfunction of the auditory tube. Examination and treatment of 28 children aged 5 to 16 years with persistent dysfunction of the auditory tube was performed. To diagnose and objectify the results of the treatment, taking of complaints and medical history of the patient, examination of ENT organs, endoscopic examination of the nose, nasopharynx and otoendoscopy, functional multispiral computed tomography of the auditory tubes, audiological examination (tympanometry, tonal threshold audiometry) were performed. Treatment included balloon dilatation of the auditory tubes. In 25 (89.3%) children, upon repeated examination after 2, 6, 12 months, the clinical, radiological, and audiological parameters were normal.

[Auditory tube dysfunction in children (literature review, part 2)]. / Disfunktsiya slukhovoi truby v detskom vozraste (obzor literatury, chast' 2).

The presented literature review examines in detail the methods for diagnosing the auditory tube, the history of development of studies of the Eustachian tube and the treatment of its dysfunction in children. The issue of dysfunction of the auditory tube as one of the causes of the formation of chronic hearing loss in childhood is increasingly being identified because of the rapid development of technologies and methods for examining patients. Aim is to study the multiple etiologic factors of the disease and the need for an integrated approach to the study of this condition.

[ENT care in the context of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19]. / Aktual'nye voprosy okazaniya spetsializirovannoi lor-pomoshchi v usloviyakh novoi koronavirusnoi infektsii COVID-19.

The spread of the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 inevitably makes adjustments to the medical care. Given that the main route of transmission is airborne, otorhinolaryngologists are at increased risk of infection. Based on the literature data of leading otorhinolaryngologists, as well as their own experience working with patients with the new coronavirus infection COVID-19, the authors present relevant recommendations on the organization of specialized otorhinolaryngological care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors consider the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of COVID-19. The features of the examination of ENT, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including the use of silicone hydrotamps to stop the front and rear nose bleeds, developed in L.I. Sverzhevskiy OHRIM, and indications for hospitalization in the ENT hospital. Features of operations on the otorhinolaryngological profile during a COVID pandemic are also described. Summing up, the authors indicate that during the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19, otorhinolaryngologists need to adhere to two fundamental principles aimed at preventing the spread of infection: the use of modern effective personal protective equipment and the use of examination methods (surgical treatment methods) that prevent the formation of biological aerosols.

[Auditory tube dysfunction in children (literature review, part 1)]. / Disfunktsiia slukhovoi truby v detskom vozraste (obzor literatury, chast' 1).

We present the review of the literature on the anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the auditory tube in children, epidemiology, etiology, and the pathogenesis of the formation of auditory tube dysfunction is presented. The first part of the article presents in more detail the structural and functional differences in the Eustachian tube in children, the classification and mechanism of the occurrence of the auditory tube dysfunction in pediatric practice.

[Persistant dysfunction of the eustachian tube: solving the problem].

Each person experienced an unpleasant sensation of congestion of the ear during a flight or in rhinorrhea, which is caused by dysfunction of the Eustachian tube (ET). People with persistent ET dysfunction live with this sensation for months and years. Persistent ET dysfunction in children reaches 40%, in adults it is up to 5%. Most of the pathological conditions of the middle ear, leading to socially significant hearing loss, and the main reasons for failures in hearing-improving operations are associated with persistent ET dysfunction. The effectiveness of various methods of treating this pathology, despite their large quantity, still remains doubtful due to the lack of clear criteria and golden standard for diagnosis, indications for specific methods and long-term results of treatment. According to the aim of the study a diagnostic and treatment algorithm was developed for persistent ET dysfunction in adults and children. We researched this problem for more than 10 years, and the effectiveness of the proposed diagnostic and therapeutic measures has been statistically proven, both by a large sample of patients and by a long period of observation. Researchers of L. I. Sverzhevsky Research Institute of Otorhinolaryngology have developed a diagnostic algorithm for persistent ET dysfunction, optimized the treatment of persistent dysfunction and recurrent concomitant secretory otitis media, and also determined the indications and methods for conducting ET balloon dilatation in adults and children with persistent ET dysfunction. We improved the functionality results of hearing-improving operations (tympanoplasty) in patients with persistent ET dysfunction. All of the above allowed us to reduce the treatment time for this group of patients by up to 50%, to achieve high clinical efficacy in up to 100%, and to obtain a lasting functionality in hearing-improving operations in 93% of cases.

[The role of stapedoplasty in the treatment of hearing impairment in the patients presenting with tympanosclerosis]. / Stapedoplastika v lechenii tugoukhosti u bol'nykh timpanosklerozom.

The present study included the examination and surgical treatment of 50 adult patients presenting with tympanosclerotic fixation of the stirrup. The patients comprising the first subgroup (n=25) underwent the two-stage treatment during the period from 1990 to 2009. The final phase of the treatment consisted of the implantation of different kinds of stirrup prostheses placed on the venous autograft that closed the oval window of the vestibule following partial or total instrumental stapedectomy. The second subgruop was composed of the patients (n=25) who were given the two- or three-stage surgical treatment during the period from 2009 till 2014 the final phase of which was performed following the same procedures as in the first subgroup but with the use of the surgical CO2-laser instead of the conventional instrumental methods. The pathomorphological studies carried out at different stages of the surgical treatment have demonstrated the necessity of isolation of the vestibular fluid for the purpose of implantation of the stirrup prostheses with a view to preventing cochlear complications. The results of the present study give evidence of the efficiency of stapedoplasty with the application of the autocartilaginous prostheses of the stirrup implanted on the venous autografts to close the oval window of the vestibule with the reduction of the bone-air interval down to less than 20 dB. The performance of this procedure with the use of the instrumental technique produced a favourable outcome of the treatment in 71.4% of the patients presenting with tympanosclerosis. The use of the laser-assisted approach further increased the efficiency of the treatment up to 76%. Moreover, the latter method allows to avoid the reaction of the inner ear to the surgical intervention during the early postoperative period and results in the faster averaged reduction of the bone-air interval in comparison with the patients treated with the application of the instrumental technique.

[An acute acoustic injury during the early postoperative period following stapedoplasty]. / Ostraia akusticheskaia travma v rannem posleoperatsionnom periode posle stapedoplastiki.

This article was designed to report a clinical case of an acute acoustic injury inflicted by a discharge of the lightning ball during the early postoperative period in a female patient following surgical stapedoplasty. The acoustic impact resulted in a marked deterioration of hearing in the operated ear with simultaneous elevation of the threshold of bone sound conduction to above the preoperative value. It is concluded that the patients who had undergone the stapedoplastic surgical intervention should be advised to avoid strong acoustic impacts during the postoperative period.

[The application of contrast-enhanced X-ray salpingography for the evaluation of the effectiveness of catheterization of the acoustic tube with the use of the Eustachian catheters]. / Rentgenokontrastnaia sal'pingografiia v otsenke éffektivnosti kateterizatsii slukhovoi truby ushnymi kateterami.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the administration of a medication into the middle ear structures during catheterization of the acoustic tube (AT) in the course of the contrast-enhanced X-ray salpingographic investigation. The study included 18 patients (18 ears) presenting with chronic otitis media and the perforated tympanic membrane without the disturbances of the ventilation function of the auditory tube. All the patients were allocated to two groups depending on the type of the Eustachian catheters being used. Group 1 was comprised of 9 patients treated with the use of traditional Giyot's catheter, group 2 was composed of another nine patients who were treated with the use of the Eustachian catheters having an original shape with a specific configuration of its distal part. The X-ray studies were carried out before and after catheterization of the acoustic tube with the administration of 1 ml of the hypaque contrast medium. The study has demonstrated that the X-ray contrast agent did not penetrate into the inner structures of the middle ear of the patients comprising group 1 whereas in the patients of the second group the contrast medium reached as far as the bony portion of the acoustic tube.

[The prevalence of tympanosclerosis and the effectiveness of its surgical treatment]. / Rasprostranennost' timpanoskleroza i éffektivnost' ego khirurgicheskogo lecheniia.

The objective of the present study was to characterize the epidemiological variants of tympanosclerosis and the effectiveness of the surgical treatment of the patients presenting with this condition. We have undertaken the analysis of the results of 1965 surgical interventions on the patients suffering from different forms of chronic otitis media (COM) performed during the period from 2009 till 2014 with a view to determining the frequency of tympanosclerosis (TSC). In 542 cases, it proved possible to evaluate the intraoperative findings, stages and methods of reconstructive surgery, the anatomical and functional outcomes and effectiveness of the intervention. At present, the signs of tympanosclerosis are identified in 27.6% of the patients presenting with chronic otitis media including 88.7% and 11.3% suffering from the perforating and non-perforating forms of this pathology, respectively. In 74% of the cases its manifestations are diagnosed in the patients having the tubotympanic form of COM. In 53.3% of the patients TSC foci are responsible for the fixation of the ossicular chain whereas in 46.7% of the cases the auditory ossicles retain mobility. As many as 88.6% of the patients underwent the one-step surgical intervention, 10.7% were managed using two-step surgery, and 0.7% of the patients were given the three-stage treatment. Type I tympanoplasty was performed in 62% of the patients, type III tympanoplasty in 30.4%, and various types of stapedoplasty in 4.6% of the cases. The favourable anatomical and functional outcomes at the first stage of the surgical intervention with the use of the autogenous tissues for tympano- and ossiculoplastic surgery were achieved in 87.9% of the patients on the average (by means of the closure of the tympanic defect in 92.2% and by re-fixation of the selected elements of the ossicular chain in 17.3%of the cases). The anatomical and functional effectiveness of the second-stage surgical intervention was estimated at 93.1%.

[Clinical and roentgenological diagnostics of the severity of mucositis in the patients presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media].

The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of mucositis and its roentgenological manifestations in the patients presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). A total of 390 patients with CSOM (mesotympanitis) and 85 ones suffering CSOM with concomitant mucositis were available for the observation. The signs of mucositis were evaluated based on the patients' complaints, results of otomicroscopy, and computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bones. This randomized clinical study involving 390 patients presenting with CSOM revealed the signs of mucositis in 44.6% of the cases. Analysis of the results of temporal bone CT performed in 85 patients with CSOM and mucositis in the absence exacerbation has demonstrated the possibility of detecting mucositis and evaluating its severity from the changes in the airness of the tympanic cavity, attics, and antrum due to the presence of the pathological substrate in these regions.