Supranee Fooanant

Extracranial and intracranial complications of suppurative otitis media. report of 102 cases

During the eight-year period, 1983-1990, 102 cases of intracranial (IC) and extracranial (EC) complications from 17 144 suppurative otitis media were reviewed. The prevalence of each complication was 0.24 and 0.45 per cent respectively. Facial paralysis, subperiosteal abscess and labyrinthitis were the common complications among the EC group, while meningitis and brain abscess were common in the IC group. Twenty five per cent of the EC group and 44 per cent of the IC group had more than two complications. The reliable warning signs and symptoms for IC complications were fever, headache, earache, vestibular symptoms, meningeal signs and impairment of consciousness. Proteus spp., Pseudomonas aeuruginosa and Staphylococcus spp. were the commonest organisms isolated from both groups. Cholesteatoma and granulation/polyp in the middle ear/mastoid were the major findings in both patient groups. Mortality rate in the IC group was 18.6 per cent. Morbidity rate in each group was 14.3 per cent (EC) and 27.9 per cent (IC) respectively. Epidemiological presentations, clinical features and the result of treatment are discussed.

Antrochoanal Polyps: How Long Should Follow-Up Be after Surgery?

Objective. To investigate the length of follow-up needed to detect recurrence of antrochoanal polyps. Methods. A retrospective investigation was performed on patients who had been operated on with a preoperative diagnosis of antrochoanal polyps in Chiang Mai University hospital from 2006 to 2012. Results and Discussion. Of the 38 cases of choanal polyps, 27 were adults (71%). The median age was 23.5, ranging from 7 to 64 years old. Eighteen patients were male (47.4%). The origin of choanal polyps was the maxillary antrum in 32 patients. The most common symptom was nasal obstruction (97.4%). The surgical procedures were polypectomy in one child and combined endoscopic and transcanine fossa approach in two adults. The remainder of the patients underwent endoscopic removal of the polyps. The follow-up time ranged from 1 day to 8 years. There were 5 cases of recurrence of which four were in children. The time for recurrence was 1.2 ± 0.6 years (95% CI 0.51, 1.97). Conclusion. Antrochoanal polyps are more common in younger patients. Recurrence was significantly higher in children. Follow-up of patients should be for at least 2 years postoperatively in order to detect 95% of recurrence.

The Complications of Sinusitis in a Tertiary Care Hospital: Types, Patient Characteristics, and Outcomes

Objective. To study the complications of sinusitis in a referral hospital and the outcome of the treatment according to the type of complication. Methods. A retrospective study was performed on patients with sinusitis who were admitted to a referral hospital from 2003 to 2012. The data for the sinusitis patients who had complications were reviewed. Results and Discussion. Eighty-five patients were included in the study, of whom 50 were male (58.8%). Fourteen of the cases were less than 15 years old, and 27 of the patients (31.7%) had more than one type of complication. The most common complication was of the orbital type (100% in the children, 38% in the adults). After the treatment, all of the children and 45 of the adults (63.4%) recovered, eight of the adult patients died (11.3%), and 18 of the adults were cured with morbidity (25.3%). The patients with more numerous complications had poorer outcomes. When the types of complications were compared (adjusted for age, gender, and comorbidities), the intracranial complication was the only one that was statistically significant for mortality. Conclusion. The outcomes of the treatment depended on the number and type of complications, with the poorest results achieved in cases of intracranial complications.