Systematic endoscopic assessment of bleeding sites in severe epistaxis: the role of the S-point and the superior epistaxis.

BACKGROUND: Systematic endoscopic assessment (SEA) of bleeding sites is critical for topodiagnosis and treatment of severe epistaxis, which is not limited to the posterior region. A bleeding site originating from the ethmoidal vasculature, the S-point, has recently been described. The aim of this study is to ascertain the prevalence of each bleeding site in severe epistaxis using a SEA protocol that includes the S-point. METHODOLOGY: Prospective longitudinal study of 51 severe epistaxis patients who underwent 53 SEA under general anesthesia from April 2018 through March 2019. SEA consisted of use of a rigid nasal endoscope; no reduction in blood pressure; no use of topical vasoconstrictor; systematic search of all regions of the nose. Bleeding sites were assigned to either superior or posterior epistaxis. RESULTS: At least one bleeding site was identified in 37 evaluations (69.8%). The S-point was the most common bleeding site (28.3%), followed by the lateral middle turbinate (9.4%), non-S-point upper septum (7.5%), nasal roof (7.5%), and upper lateral wall (7.5%). Superior epistaxis was identified in the most of cases (27 SEA, 50.9%), whereas only 14 SEA (26.4%) identified posterior epistaxis â€" fewer than the 16 SEA that did not identify any bleeding sites (30.2%). There were two recurrences (3.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Systematic endoscopic assessment effectively identified bleeding sites in 69.8% of severe epistaxis. The S-point was the most common bleeding site identified (28.3%). Finally, superior epistaxis corresponded to more than half of the identified bleeding sites, demonstrating the importance of examining this region judiciously in patients with severe epistaxis.

Mechanical disfunction in the mucosal oedema formation of patients with nasal polyps.

BACKGROUND: Nasal polyposis (NP) is characterized by an anomalous tissue growth with oedema and a lack of extracellular matrix. In this study, we investigated whether a mechanical disfunction of the forces that act in oedema formation is present in NP. METHODS: We compared the interstitial hydrostatic pressure behaviour during a saline solution infusion between healthy nasal mucosa (inferior and middle turbinate from 10 patients) and inflamed nasal mucosa from NP patients (inferior, middle turbinate and a nasal polyp from 6 patients). We used Controlled Disc Stimulation equipment to compare the curve Pressure/Volume created during the saline solution infusion. RESULTS: The pressure at 0.2 ml infusion was lower in the middle turbinate of NP patients than in the middle turbinate of control patients. The lowest P/V mean assessed was in the polypoid tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The interstitial hydrostatic pressure showed different behaviour during liquid infusion in nasal mucosa from NP patients when compared with healthy nasal mucosa. This study allows us to cogitate on a new pathophysiological mechanism contributing to the development of the NP.

Effect of adenotonsillectomy on visual attention tests among children with sleep-disordered breathing: a controlled prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adenotonsillectomy on visual attention and daytime sleepiness in children with sleep-disordered breathing. DESIGN: This was a controlled prospective cohort study. SETTING: Outpatients from the Otorhinolaryngology Division of Edmundo Vasconcelos Hospital Complex, São Paulo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged 6-17 years with upper airway obstruction scheduled to undergo adenotonsillectomy (treatment group) in the Otorhinolaryngology Division of Edmundo Vasconcelos Hospital Complex, in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants of control group were consecutively selected from another outpatient clinic of paediatric surgery, but those with symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Children were submitted to visual attention tests (TAVIS-3) that discriminates normal subjects from those with attentional disorders in advance of the surgery and 2 months later, and in the same period for the control group. Parents were interviewed about lifestyle, sleep characteristics and daytime sleepiness. RESULTS: The analysis included 27 patients in the adenotonsillectomy group and 30 controls, who had similar age (10.0 ± 3.3 versus 10.3 ± 3.7 years; P = 0.8), gender (41% boys versus 57%, respectively) and body mass index. There was marked decrease in daytime sleepiness after surgery (delta between groups: -4.7 ± 3.8; P < 0.001), as well as reductions in reaction time, errors of omission and errors of commission in the treatment compared with the control group at both time points, before and after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that adenotonsillectomy in children and adolescents with sleep-disordered breathing reduces daytime sleepiness and improves the performance in tests of visual attention.

Nonspecific necrotizing petrositis: an unusual complication of otitis in children.

Three cases of an unusual form of suppurative chronic otitis media in children 2 and 3 years old are presented. The clinical feature common to all cases was otorrhea, beginning at the first months of life, with a silent evolution to a complete peripheral facial paralysis. In one case the facial paralysis was bilateral. The treatment applied was surgical: subtotal petrosectomy. The surgical findings were bloody granulation tissue, sequestering completely the otic capsule. The facial nerve was destroyed almost the total length of the Fallopian canal in all cases. The histopathologic examination revealed a destructive and nonspecific chronic inflammatory process. The culture showed Gram-negative organisms, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. Etiologic aspects involved in the process are discussed and the name non-specific necrotizing petrositis is suggested to individualize this rare form of otitis which, with morbidity, leads to severe complications such as facial paralysis and deafness.

Microsurgery in severe posterior epistaxis.

A brief review of surgery for severe posterior epistaxis has been outlined. Hundred and forty-five (27.3%) patients were treated by transnasal microsurgery in order to undergo ligation of the branches of the sphenopalatine artery in the nasal cavity. The rate of failure was 6.1%. It seems that by using this kind of operation, we can significantly decrease the morbidity in relation to other methods of controlling the posterior epistaxis.

[Mandibular trigeminal schwannoma: case report]. / Schwanoma do ramo mandibular do nervo trigêmeo: relato de caso.

We report one case of peripheral trigeminal schwannoma originated from the mandibular branch (V3) and located inside the infratemporal and pterygopalatine fossae with slight intracranial extension. The tumor was completely removed by a transmaxillary approach. The revision of the literature showed to be a very rare tumor in this location.

Nasal septal cross-over flap technique: a choanal atresia micro-endoscopic surgical repair.

Choanal atresia is a congenital malformation of the posterior portion of the nasal cavity, which is usually unilateral. The incidence is estimated to be 1 in 5,000 to 8,000 live births. Several surgical approaches have been described to correct choanal atresia since Emmert's initial trocar perforation in 1853, including transnasal, transpalatal, transseptal, sublabial transseptal, transantral, and external rhinoplasty. Although the micro-endoscopic transnasal access is a more conservative technique, it allows greater surgical precision, and is currently recommended by many authors; choanal atresia repair is still considered a challenge, with risks of intraoperative and postoperative complications and re-stenosis. This paper reports the results of a series of 33 patients operated via the transnasal micro-endoscopic surgical approach, and describes a new endoscopic technique that the authors call "nasal septal crossover flap technique."