Yoshiro Mori

Clinical Study of Patients with Bullous Myringitis (BM) : Is BM Merely an Acute Otitis Media (AOM)?

Bullous myringitis (BM) is an acutely painful condition of the ear characterized by bulla formation on the tympanic membrane. The etiology is unknown despite its recognition over a hundred years ago by Lowenberg (1892). BM was described in early articles as occurring in association with acute otitis media; however, BM has different features from AOM: usually unilateral, more often in school age children and frequently in adults, and almost always with a self-limited clinical course.We studied 74 patients with BM aged 0 to 83 years (average age: 8.53), of which 65 patients had allergic rhinitis and others nasal disorders. Most patients had a sudden onset of very severe otalgia, but rarely had a high temperature. In all cases, bulla formations on the tympanic membrane were unilateral, and 54 of 69 patients had significant bulging of the pars tensa, whereas only 44 of 69 patients had significant middle ear fluid. As other findings of the tympanic membrane, including a patient who strongly blew the nose, 24 of 72 patients had bleeding and 32 of 36 patients with analysis of recorded photography had significant bulging of the pars flaccida.Merifield (1966) considered that BM is a mechanical injury, which follows upper-respiratory infection of any sort (eg, Eustachian tube insufficiency, fever etc). We thought that BM might be a middle ear barotrauma: abnormal nasopharynx pressure due to allergic rhinitis and others nasal disorders caused a sudden reflux of secretions and air from the nasopharynx into the middle ear such that a vibration and positive pressure suddenly struck the tympanic membrane.

Giant Cell Tumor of the Sphenoid Sinus. A Case Report.

A 26-year-old man presented with double vision and headache. Neurological examination revealed impairment of cranial nerves II, III, VI. Bony destruction of the sphenoid sinus as well as the sella-clival region was seen on plain craniogram X-ray films. CT scan showed an enhanced mass in the sphenoid sinus. MRI showed a clear localization of the tumor which involved the surrounding tissues. The contents of the sphenoid sinus could be removed by curettage via a transseptal approach. The histological diagnosis was giant cell tumor. The cranial symptoms were relieved within a few days postoperatively. He has remained asymptomatic for 24 months since the operation.

A statistical analysis of motion sickness

This paper analyzes motion sickness data obtained from questionnaires in one kindergarten, four primary schools, and one middle school; a total of 2484 pupils.These data were studied by Hayashis quantification method II. which includes 13 items : age, sex, vertigo, orthostatic dysregulation, getting out of bed, sports, running, hearing loss, poor posture, headache, gasping, pallor, appetite.Motion sickness was the outside criterion.The quantification analysis indicated the following : 1) The correlation ratio, which indicates the rate at which items explain the outside criterion, was 0.102.2) The ranges of category weight, which are quantified to maximize the effect of grouping, were : age 1.175; appetite 0.888; sex 0.824; headache 0.671; and vertigo 0.563.3) Partial correlation coefficients which indicate a single relation between the outside criterion and each item (excluding influence of other items), were : age 0.170; sex 0.134; appetite 0.092; headache 0.072; and orthostatic dysregulation 0.056.4) From the cumulative distribution of sample scores (i.e. the sum of category weight in each case), motion sickness and non-motion sickness groups were discriminated at the rate of 65%.

Actual situation of balance disordered persons recognized in the Law for the Welfare of Physically Disabled Persons

1) The data published by the Welfare Ministry and the Gifu prefectural office were analyzed with respect to persons with balance disorders. Balance disorders account for only 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent of all physical disabilities.2) The number of, persons with balance disorders living in Gifu prefecture is 81.3) The causes of the balance disorder in these 81 persons were : labyrinth or eighth cranial nerve damage (31), CNS disturbance (42), combined disturbance of the labyrinth and CNS (4), and unknown (4).4) Persons under 18 years or 60 years of age had mainly CNS disturbances.5) The incidence of multiple handicaps, especially balance disorder plus deafness, was higher in the labyrinth and the eighth cranial nerve damage group than in the CNS disturbance group.6) Grade 5 balance disorder was more common than grade 3 in the labyrinth and the eighth cranial nerve damage group. The number of grade 3 and grade 5 balance disorders was approximately equal in the CNS disturbance group.