Ali Altuntas

The efficiency of Nose Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale on patients with nasal septal deviation.

OBJECTIVE The aim in this study was to evaluate the efficiency of Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale for septoplasty (without turbinate reduction) in comparison with other examination methods. METHODS Prospective observational study was undertaken in otolaryngology department of university hospital. NOSE scale for quality of life assessment, visual analog scale for examination findings, acoustic rhinometry and coronal computed tomography were performed before and after septoplasty. The efficiency of NOSE scale to assess for septoplasty results and the correlation between NOSE scores and other techniques was analyzed. RESULTS Twenty-seven patients underwent septoplasty; there was a very significant improvement in mean NOSE scores of patients (60.2 versus 11.28, p<0.01). There was no correlation between NOSE scores and acoustic rhinometry. Correlation was found between NOSE scores and examination and computed tomography findings (p<0.05). CONCLUSION NOSE scale that is well correlated with examination findings and computed tomography, is very useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of pure septoplasty.

Unilateral aplasia of the submandibular gland.

Abstract. The congenital absence of major salivary glands is an extremely rare disorder. In this case, we report a 32-year-old woman who came to us with right submandibular gland aplasia, which was detected incidentally. The literature on this rare occurrence is reviewed and the significance of the patient is discussed.

Effects of Ascorbic Acid on Oxidative System and Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions in Rabbits Exposed to Noise

Objectives/Hypothesis: The objective was to investigate the effects of both noise exposure and ascorbic acid on oxidative status and hearing thresholds of rabbits.

Facial nerve paralysis in chronic suppurative otitis media: Ankara Numune hospital experience

Although the incidence of facial nerve paralysis (FNP) decreased with the use of contemporary diagnostic tools and the advent of antibiotics, it is still a challenging problem. In this retrospective study, the charts of 1188 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), treated between 1988 and 1996 in the First ENT Clinic of Ankara Numune Hospital, Turkey, were analysed to establish the pre-operative incidence of FNP in CSOM. There were 20 (1.7%) patients with FNP secondary to CSOM. Of these, 14 (70%) had cholesteatoma. There was a defect on the fallopian canal in 14 patients (70%) and it was most commonly located on the tympanic segment of the canal (35.7%). Paralysis was incomplete in all patients. A total of 14 patients had ear drainage more than 3 years. FNP was associated with vertigo in three patients (15%) and tinnitus in one patient (5%).

Sucralfate for posttonsillectomy analgesia

Pain is one of the most troublesome complications of tonsillectomy. The pain appears as throat pain, otalgia, or both, and continues until mucosal recovery on the tonsillar fossae is complete. Some surgical and hemostasis techniques may increase pain. Analgesics, antibiotics, steroids, and local and topical anesthetics are used to relieve posttonsillectomy pain, but none has the desired effectiveness. The pain reliever must not increase bleeding and must have minimal side effects. Sucralfate, a basic amino salt of sucrose octasulfate, binds to the matrix protein of a peptic ulcer and produces a protective barrier. Tonsillectomy leaves two large ulcerous wounds, and sucralfate may bind those wounds as it does peptic ulcers. In this controlled study, the efficacy of sucralfate on posttonsillectomy throat pain, otalgia, analgesic requirement, degree of strength, bleeding, body temperature, and mucosal recovery is investigated in 80 patients. Sucralfate is found to significantly reduce throat pain and analgesic requirement after surgery.

Inferior concha bullosa.

Inferior concha bullosa is defined as the pneumatization of inferior intranasal turbinate and is a rare clinical condition. In this article, a 37-year-old female patient complaining from unilateral nasal stuffiness and intermittent headache is presented. Symptomatology, diagnostic and therapeutic measures for inferior concha bullosa is discussed. In the differential diagnosis of inferior turbinate hypertrophy, inferior concha bullosa should be kept in mind.

Susceptibility of microorganisms isolated from chronic suppurative otitis media to ciprofloxacin

In order to evaluate the susceptibility of the microorganisms isolated from chronic suppurative otitis media to ciprofloxacin, cultures of specimens from 127 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media and their antibiotic sensitivity results were examined. The most common aerobic isolates were Pseudomonas sp., Proteus sp. and Staphylococcus aureus with recovery rates of 40.7%, 21.6% and 19.1% respectively. Sensitivity results showed that 6.2% of Pseudomonas isolates, 2.9% of Proteus isolates, 10% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates and 8.3% of Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin.

Cavernous hemangioma of the left vocal cord.

Laryngeal hemangioma in adults is a very rare condition. We report the case of a 41-year-old man with hemangioma of the left vocal cord. The literature on this rare occurrence is reviewed and the significance of the case discussed.

Hearing and cochlear function of patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder that primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. Recent studies described audiovestibular impairment in AS patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing and function of the cochlear system in patients with AS. Thirty-seven AS patients and 20 healthy controls were evaluated prospectively. Otorhinolaryngologic examinations were performed in all patients together with pure tone audiometry, speech discrimination test, tympanometry, and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOE). Disease duration, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) scores, and hematologic findings (CRP and ESR) were also collected. Pure tone audiometry findings of the patients and controls were significantly different in all frequencies (p < 0.01). Speech discrimination scores were also significantly different (p < 0.01). No significant difference was found between DPOE responses of the patients and controls (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between disease duration, BASDAI scores, hematological findings, and audiometry findings (p > 0.05). This study demonstrated that there is an association between AS and hearing loss, but the cochlea is not the main source of hearing loss.

A new dosage regimen for topical application of ciprofloxacin in the management of chronic suppurative otitis media

The clinical and bacteriologic efficacy of topically applied ciprofloxacin was studied in 60 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media. Two hundred fifty and 125 μg/ml concentrations of ciprofloxacin solutions were given to two groups of patients. The duration of therapy was determined according to the clinical cure at follow-up. More than 21 days of therapy was not needed in any patient. The clinical cure rate with 250 μg/ml ciprofloxacin was 78.1% at 14 days and with 125 μg/ml it was 83.3%. However, a 100% clinical cure rate and complete bacteriologic eradication was obtained in 21 days in both groups. In each group only one patient had otomycosis by the fourteenth day of therapy, although ear discharge had ceased. It was concluded that 125 μg/ml ciprofloxacin could be applied as successfully as 250 μg/ml, and the duration of therapy had to be at least 14 days. This new dosage regimen can be adopted as an optimal dosage for ototopical application of ciprofloxacin in chronic suppurative otitis media. It will also obviously decrease the expense of therapy. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:883–5.)