Factors of hearing impairment among Saudi children: a comparative epidemiological study

To determine and compare the various risk factors for hearing impairment in the four major regions of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Nine thousand five hundred forty children below the age of 15 were surveyed from the four major provinces of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was filled and an ENT examination with audiological assessement were carried out for each child. The various risk factors were studied. Nine thousand, five hundred and forty children were screened. Out of these 13% were hearing impaired and 8% were at risk of hearing impairment. Consanguinous marriages, failure to attend antenatal clinics, abnormal pregnancy and labour, prematurity, lack of immunization, xenthematous diseases and jaundice were the risk factors for hearing impairment, The Western and Southern regions of Saudi Arabia were found to have the highest rate of some of these risk factors. Conclusions: Consanguinous marriages should be discouraged. Attendance of antenatal clinics and immunization should be encouraged through proper health education and counseling programmes

use of sand bags under the shoulders in adenotonsillectomy

Two hundred and seventy three patients were investigated to find out the benefits of using sand bags under the shoulders of patients undergoing adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy or both. One hundred and fifty two patients were operated without the use of sand bags under their shoulders while in 121 patients sand bags were used. The use of sand bags added no benefit, nor was there any complications or technical difficulty connected to the position of the head and neck

Ossiculoplasty: comparison of four different methods

The use of plastipore PORP and TORP prostheses in ossiculoplasty is still a controversial issue. This study assesses their value in gearing improvement as compared to autograft and homograft ossicles. Eighty-eight patients aged 3-47 years with chronic suppurative etitis media were included in this study. Fifty-seven patients had non- cholesteatomatous otitis media and 31 had cholesteatoma. Reconstruction of the gap between the drum and stapes [type II tympanoplasty] was performed with autograft sculptured incudes in 30 patients and with PORPs in 25 patients. In drum to stapedial footplate reassembly [type III typanoplaty] homograft incuded was used in 18 patients and TORPs in 15 patients. All patients were followed up for at least one year postoperatively when the hearing was assessed. Surgery was considered successful if the patient obtained a 20 dB or less difference between pre-operative bone and post-operative air conduction in the speech frequencies. Sixty three% of patients who had undergone incus interposition [type II tympanoplasty] fulfilled this criterion. Similar success was obtained in 29% of patients with homograft incus. In type III tympanoplasty, homograft incus gave 39% success rate while TORP gave 40% success rate. In type II tympanoplasty incus interposition has given statistically better results than PORP [p 0,04] as regards hearing gain. However, in type III tympanoplasy, the difference between the results of homograft incudes and TORP was insignificant. Whenever possible incus interposition in type II tympanoplasty should be the methods of choice. In drum to footplate re-construction, TORP, however still has a place in ossiculoplasty