prospective study of mobile phone user complaints in Saudi Arabia

To study the long-term effects of mobile phone exposure in regard to ear pain and pressure, facial pain, headache, hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and hotness. Four hundred volunteer subjects who used mobile phones were recruited, 313 subjects completed 2 years follow up. The cheif complaints were ear pressure [42.0%], headache [38.1%], and hotness [36.2%]. Whereas only 17.9% of subjects had 1 complaint, 20.9% had 3 complaints. Forty-eight subjects [15.9%] had no primary complaints, but complained of a variety of minor symptoms, including anxiety, numbness, a heavy sensation, or itchiness. Six subjects had to reduce mobile phone usage and 9 had to stop using a mobile phone altogether. Bivariate correlation analysis of the 8 primary complaints revealed only 3 pairs that had a phi coefficient of above 0.3: headache and facial pain: 0.339, p < .000001; headache and hearing loss: 0.413, p <.000001; and headache and vertigo: 0.325, p <.000001. There was no evidence of a dose-response relationship between call duration and complaints

Surgical findings in revision radical mastoidectomy

To assess the intra-operative findings and the long-term results of 91 revision surgeries performed for failure after cholesteatoma surgery. Retrospective study. King Abdul-Aziz University hospital, [KAUH]. The medical records of ninety-one patients who had undergone mastoidectomy revision operations over 10 years period were reviewed, and the data were extracted and analyzed. The indications for revision were recurrent cholesteatoma and persistent otorrhea. Ninety-one patients were included in the study; twenty-nine were females and sixty-two were males, ages ranged from 6 to 63 years. Revision mastoidectomies were performed in canal wall down [CWD] mastoidectomies. Sixty-six [72.5%] had recurrent or residual cholesteatoma, 61 [67%] had narrow external canal and 44 [48.35%] had high facial ridge. Infected not exenterated mastoid air cells were found in 49 patients [53.8%], involving closed supratubal recess in 26 [53%], persistent sinodural angle air cells and persistent mastoid apex air cells in 13 [26.5%] and persistent tegmental air cells in 10 [20.4%]. After an average of 10 years follow up of revision mastoidectomy, 79 [87%] cases had dry and healed cavities. Incomplete removal of infected mastoid air cells and incomplete aeration of the mastoid cavities are the most important factors in failure of the primary surgery. Successful CWD mastoidectomy requires removal of all diseased air cells