International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology最新文献

Introduction  Nasoseptal flap is widely used in reconstruction of the skull base to prevent cerebrospinal fluid leakage after surgery for skull base lesions. There has been a debate on whether more severe olfactory dysfunction occurs after nasoseptal flap elevation than the conventional trans-sphenoidal approach. Objective  To compare the long-term recovery patterns associated with nasoseptal flap and the conventional trans-sphenoidal approach. Methods  The subjects were divided into the conventional trans-sphenoidal approach group and the nasoseptal flap elevation group. We followed up self-reported olfactory score using the visual analogue scale and threshold discrimination identification (TDI) score of the Korean Version of the Sniffin Stick test II for 12 months, with olfactory training. Results  The study included 31 patients who underwent the trans-sphenoidal approach. Compared with preoperative status, the mean visual analogue scale and TDI scores in the conventional trans-sphenoidal approach group recovered 2 months postoperatively, while in the nasoseptal flap elevation group the visual analogue scale and TDI scores recovered 6 months and 3 months after surgery, respectively. Twelve months after surgery, the visual analogue scale and TDI scores in the conventional trans-sphenoidal approach group were 9.3 ± 0.5 and 28.5 ± 4.3, while those from the nasoseptal flap elevation group were 8.9 ± 1.5 and 27.2 ± 4.7 ( p  = 0.326; 0.473). Only one of the patients in the nasoseptal flap elevation group had permanent olfactory dysfunction. Conclusion  The olfactory function recovered more gradually in the nasoseptal flap elevation group than in the conventional trans-sphenoidal approach group, but there was no difference between the two groups after 6 months.

Introduction  Tinnitus etiopathogenesis is still unclear and treatment options are controversial despite current advances in medicine. Objectives  To analyze the correlation between patients' symptom scores, systemic inflammation, and trombosis biomarkers. Methods  In this prospective study, we evaluated the degree of complaints of subjective tinnitus patients with the tinnitus severity index (TSI) and tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), and correlated these symptom scores with hematological parameters such as the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean thrombocyte volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW). Results  A total of 44 patients with subjective tinnitus, 25 (56.8%) men and 19 (43.2%) women, were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 42.3 ± 14.8 years. When the correlation between TSI and NLR, PLR, PDW, and MPV values of the patients were analyzed, no statistically significant correlation was found between TSI, NLR, and PLR ( p  > 0.05). However, there was a statistically weak positive correlation between TSI, MPV, and PDW.( p  < 0.05). When the correlation between THI and NLR, PLR, PDW, and MPV values of the patients were analyzed, no statistically significant correlation was found between THI, NLR, and PLR ( p  > 0.05). There was a statistically weak positive correlation between THI, MPV, and PDW ( p  < 0.05). Conclusion  We were unable to detect any relationship between systemic inflammation markers (NLR and PLR) and symptom scores, but a weakly positive correlation was observed between thrombosis markers (MPV and PDW) and symptom scores, and as the subclinical thrombosis markers elevated, so did the symptom scores.

Introduction  Adolescents with cochlear implants may have difficulty developing language and memory abilities. Objective  The primary objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate the language skills and verbal working memory performance of early and late diagnosed-intervened cochlear implanted adolescents and (2) to investigate the relationship between the verbal working memory and phonemic analysis skills in adolescents with cochlear implant. Methods  This study included 72 participants with cochlear implant aged between 10 and 18 years. The participants were divided into two groups; those who had first hearing aid at the age of 6 months at the latest and had a first cochlear implant in at least one ear at the latest at 24 months were included in the early group, all the others were in the late group. The phonemic analysis test, a subtest of the test of language development: Primary, 4th edition (TOLD: P-4) - Turkish version, was used to assess language-based abilities, and the meaningless word repetition (MWR) test was utilized to assess verbal working memory. Results  The adolescents with cochlear implants who received early diagnosis and intervention performed statistically significantly better in phonemic analysis scores and verbal working memory tests ( p  < 0.001). A statistically significant relationship was found between phonemic analysis and verbal working memory skills (Pearson, r = 0.567 and r = 0.659, p  < 0.001). Conclusions  Rehabilitation of phonological skills can contribute to the development of verbal working memory in adolescents with cochlear implants. There is a need for further studies on this issue with more detailed tests.

Introduction  Oral carcinoma has been reported at a substantial proportion in patients who never smoke and never drink. However, the proportion may vary by subsite and ethnicity. Objective  We aimed to determine the clinicopathological features of buccal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in a Japanese population. Methods  We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients diagnosed with buccal SCC at our institution from September 2002 to November 2015. We reviewed the gender, age, tumor status, treatment, smoking, alcohol drinking, multiple primary cancers, and prognosis of the patients. The overall and cause-specific survival rates were calculated, and the effects of clinicopathological variables were assessed by univariate analysis. Furthermore, the cause of death was evaluated. Results  Among the 63 patients (men: 38; women: 25) included in the present study, 29 (46.0%) never smoked or drank. Women were almost 5 years older than men ( p  = 0.014). The number of women in the group who never smoked or drank was disproportionately higher than that of those in the smoker or drinker groups ( p  < 0.001). In total, 29 patients (46.0%) had 59 multiple primary cancers, including 26 oral cancers. Surgeries and radiotherapy were performed in 57 (90.5%) and 6 (9.5%) cases, respectively. The 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival rates were 74.6 and 78.8%, respectively. Conclusion  Our study confirms that buccal SCC may develop in older adult Japanese patients, especially in women who have never smoked or drank. These patients could be at risk for second primary malignancy.

Introduction  Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the maxillary alveolus is a relatively rare disease. There is lack of data on this subsite as compared with other sites. The factors that affect survival in cases of maxillary alveolar SCC are tumor stage, local and cervical metastases, histological grading, and the margin status. Objectives  To evaluate the overall survival (OS), the disease free survival (DFS), and the complex interaction and effects of margin status, histological differentiation, habits (such as smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco products), and cervical and distant metastases based on clinicopathological data. Methods  We examined the electronic database at our hospital from 2003 to 2017. We included all cases with a histopathological diagnosis of SCC of the maxillary alveolus. Tumors originating primarily from the maxillary alveolus were included, while those originating from adjacent subsites, like the hard palate, the buccal mucosa or the maxillary sinus were excluded. We also excluded all the patients who were not operated on with a curative intent. Results  More than half of the patients had stage-IV tumors at the time of presentation, while only one fourth of them had nodal metastasis. The rate of recurrence increased in cases of primary tumors in advanced stages and the degree of histological differentiation. The 2-year and 5-year OS rates were of 54.5% (18 patients) and 30.3% (10 patients) respectively. Conclusion  Primary tumors in advanced stages, histological grade, and presence of nodal metastasis are poor prognostic markers in terms of long-term survival.

Introduction  The number of stimuli is important to determine the quality of auditory evoked potential records. However, there is no consensus on that number in studies, especially in the sample studied. Objectives  To investigate the influence of the number of rare stimuli on forming N2 and P3 components, with different types of acoustic stimuli. Methods  Cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative study, approved by the ethics committee of the institution. The sample comprised 20 normal hearing adults of both sexes, aged 18 to 29 years old, with normal scores in the mental state examination and auditory processing skills. The event-related auditory evoked potentials were performed with nonverbal (1 kHz versus 2 kHz) and verbal stimuli (/BA/ versus /DA/). The number of rare stimuli varied randomly in the recordings, with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 presentations. Results  P3 latency was significantly higher for nonverbal stimuli with 50 rare stimuli. N2 latency did not show any difference between the type and number of stimuli. The absolute P3 and N2-P3 amplitudes showed significant differences for both types of stimuli, with higher amplitude for 10 rare stimuli, in contrast with the other ones. The linear tendency test indicated significance only for the amplitude - as the number of rare stimuli increased, the amplitude tended to decrease. Conclusion  The components were identifiable in the different numbers of rare stimuli and types of stimuli. The P3 and N2-P3 latency and amplitude increased with fewer verbal and nonverbal stimuli. Recording protocols must consider the number of rare stimuli.