Shall We Resect the Tip of Manubrium Mallei in Tympanoplasty?

OBJECTIVES: In tympanoplasty operations if perforation is related with malleus handle, malleus handle is desepithelised. We planned this research to investigate whether the epithelial remnants remain as a result of this desepithelisation or not. METHODS: The 35 patients who were performed tympanoplasty operation were divided into two groups. In the first group which included 13 patients the tip portion of manubrium mallei were cut off without desepithelisation. In the second group which included 22 patients the tip portions of manubrium mallei were cut off after the meticulous desepithelisation. The presence of squamous epithelium was examined histopathologically on the specimens. RESULTS: Squamous epithelium was observed in 9 of the 13 non-desepithelised specimens and in 6 of 22 desepithelised specimens. CONCLUSION: In tympanoplasty operations despite careful desepithelisation, squamous epithelial remnants may remain on the malleus handle. So the tip of manubrium mallei could be resected to prevent the future development of cholesteatoma.

Shall We Resect the Tip of Manubrium Mallei in Tympanoplasty?

OBJECTIVES: In tympanoplasty operations if perforation is related with malleus handle, malleus handle is desepithelised. We planned this research to investigate whether the epithelial remnants remain as a result of this desepithelisation or not. METHODS: The 35 patients who were performed tympanoplasty operation were divided into two groups. In the first group which included 13 patients the tip portion of manubrium mallei were cut off without desepithelisation. In the second group which included 22 patients the tip portions of manubrium mallei were cut off after the meticulous desepithelisation. The presence of squamous epithelium was examined histopathologically on the specimens. RESULTS: Squamous epithelium was observed in 9 of the 13 non-desepithelised specimens and in 6 of 22 desepithelised specimens. CONCLUSION: In tympanoplasty operations despite careful desepithelisation, squamous epithelial remnants may remain on the malleus handle. So the tip of manubrium mallei could be resected to prevent the future development of cholesteatoma.

Is Visual Loss Due to Giant Cell Arteritis Reversible?

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a common systemic vasculitis with an unknown etiology. It mainly affects people older than 50 years of age and often presents with symptoms such as headache, jaw claudication, visual loss, polymyalgia rheumatica and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Established blindness is irreversible if the steroid treatment is not administered within a few days. Here, we report a case of GCA in a patient with a normal ESR whose left eye perceived just light at the initiation of treatment. Immediately prior to the combined treatment with high dose oral steroids and cyclophosphamide, the ESR level had increased to 80 mm/h and the vision improved after the combined treatment four months later.