Masaharu Sudo

Penetrating injury to the pharynx by a toothbrush in a pediatric patient: a case report

Penetrating injury of the pharynx is rare, but it can cause serious sequelae in children. A 12-month-old boy was impaled with a toothbrush in the retropharyngeal space after falling from a baby-bed. The point of the toothbrush was embedded beside the carotid artery and was removed by endoscopic surgical technique. The patient was discharged without neurological complication or abscess formation. We present a rare case of a penetrating injury by a toothbrush and discuss such injuries.

Factors affecting recovery of mastoid aeration after ear surgery.

Abstract Fifty-six patients after tympanomastoid surgery were examined to determine recovery of mastoid aeration and various pre- and intraoperative factors such as eustachian tube (ET) function, how the mastoid mucosa had been treated during surgery and whether or not a large silastic sheet had been placed in the middle ear or a ventilation tube used. Mastoid aeration recovery was confirmed by computed tomography in 27 of the 57 cases (47%) within 12 months of surgery. Among the factors examined, preservation of the epitympanic mucosa was found to be most important in mastoid aeration recovery. Use of a large silastic sheet to cover the area from the bony ET and tympanic cavity to epitympanum, aditus ad antrum or antrum was found to be of some help in recovery mastoid aeration after complete resection of the mucosa and mastoid air cells. Preoperative ET function, anterior tympanotomy and use of a ventilation tube did not influence recovery.

The diagnostic and prognostic value of eardrum mobility in otitis media with effusion.

Abstract Diagnostic and prognostic values of eardrum mobility were determined by pneumatic otoscopy in 37 patients (56 ears) having otitis media with effusion (OME). Eardrum mobility was impaired or lost in less than half of the ears (46.4%), while a tympanogram detected 77.8% of OME. In 27 of the 37 patients (42 of the 56 ears), aeration of the middle ear space was examined by CT and demonstrated that the presence or absence of aeration was significantly correlated with the presence or absence of eardrum mobility. In another 38 children (62 ears with OME), effect of antibiotics was correlated with eardrum mobility before treatment, and the improvement rate was found to be significantly higher in ears with positive mobility of eardrum (34.3%) than in ears without eardrum mobility (10.0%). These results indicate that eardrum mobility is a good prognostic indicator of OME rather than its diagnostic indicator alone.

Pathophysiological and therapeutic considerations of otitis media with effusion from viewpoint of middle ear ventilation

Using nitrous oxide, we examined the gas exchange function through the middle ear mucosa in ears with otitis media with effusion (OME) in children, and found the function to be impaired in 50% of them. The size of the mastoid was significantly smaller in ears with negative gas exchange function than those with positive function, and the presence or absence of the function was even more significantly correlated with the presence or absence of aeration in the middle ear. Furthermore, the presence or absence of aeration in ears with OME was found to be significantly correlated with their prognosis (response of OME to antibiotics treatment) and also with the presence or absence of eardrum mobility examined by a pneumatic otoscope. Finally, after myringotomy and removal of effusion, the gas exchange function recovered in most of the ears with impaired function. These results indicate that the eardrum mobility test may serve as an appropriate indicator for the surgical treatment for OME.

Organic change of effusion in the mastoid in otitis media with effusion and its relation to attic retraction

To try to solve the pathogenesis of severe attic retraction viewed from mastoid condition, we examined the residual soft tissue density (RSTD) in the mastoid by computed tomography (CT) in 85 patients (107 ears) with otitis media with effusion (OME) 3 months after tympanostomy tube insertion or later. The incidence of RSTD in the mastoid was significantly higher in OME of adults (52.6%) than in children (24.1%). Ears with severe attic retraction had RSTD significantly more frequently (80%) than those with no or mild attic retraction, and many of the mastoids with severe attic retraction were occupied totally by RSTD. The area of the mastoid (mastoid pneumatization) was significantly smaller, and CT density of the mastoid (sclerotic tendency) was significantly higher in ears with RSTD than in those without. RSTD after tympanostomy tube insertion in the mastoid indicating organic change of effusion was considered one of the important factors relating to the pathogenesis of severe attic retraction.

Effect of Low-dose Long-term Treatment with Macrolide for Intractable Eustachian Tube Stenosis.

The efficacy of low-dose long-term macrolide for treatment of intractable eustachian tube (ET) stenosis in 20 patients (21 ears) with otitis media with effusion or chronic suppurative otitis media was evaluated. A single daily dose (400-500mg) of erythromycin or clarithromycin was administered for 2-7 months, and ET function was assessed by a modified inflation-deflation test or catheter inflation before and after the course of medication. ET stenosis improved in 10 of the 21 ears (47.6%). The rate of improvement was higher in patients with chronic sinusitis than in those without chronic sinusitis. These results indicate that low-dose long-term macrolide treatment may be useful for treatment of intractable ET stenosis.