Comparative study of the effectiveness of the surgical technique with and without preservation of the conchal cartilage in otoplasty through the measure of the cephalo-auricular and scapho-conchal angles

Abstract Objectives Prominent ear abnormalities affect 5% of the population. A prospective, double-blind study of patients who underwent otoplasty procedures to correct these abnormalities was conducted to compare two surgical techniques. They diverge by the preservation or not of conchal cartilage. Methods The two techniques were compared by measuring the cephalo-auricular and scapho-conchal angles. Measurements were performed in pre and 6-months post-operative periods using alginate molding. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to two groups (with and without cartilage preservation) with 10 participants each. Student's t-test, Covariance Analysis Model (ANCOVA), and non-parametric Mann-Whitney were used in the statistical analyses. Results A significant reduction in the average of the cephalo-auricular and scapho-conchal angles was observed in both surgical procedures (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was found between them (p = 0.887). Conclusion The two techniques analyzed in this study fulfilled their objectives. Therefore, further comparative studies are needed to confirm the superiority of one over the other. Level I Evidence obtained from at least one properly designed randomized controlled trial.

Estudo clínico-epidemiológico de fibromialgia em um hospital universitário do Sul do Brasil / Clinical and epidemiological study of fibromyalgia in a university hospital in Southern Brazil

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVO: A fibromialgia é uma condição caracterizada por dor generalizada, comumente associada à fadiga e a distúrbios cognitivos, afetivos e do sono. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever o perfil socioeducacional e o desempenho em escalas de avaliação da doença, além de comparar os diferentes critérios de classificação da fibromialgia e descrever outras características dos pacientes atendidos em um ambulatório de fibromialgia de um hospital universitário. MÉTODOS: Estudo realizado por meio de análise de questionários com padrão EpiFibro aplicados a 146 mulheres com fibromialgia durante consulta ambulatorial. RESULTADOS: Entre os resultados, destacaram-se os seguintes: maior sensibilidade dos critérios do Colégio Americano de Reumatologia de 2010 em relação aos de 1990; baixas renda e escolaridade das pacientes; alta prevalência de distúrbios do sono, cefaleia e parestesias; longo tempo entre o início dos sintomas e o diagnóstico; e não utilização dos tratamentos farmacológicos e não farmacológicos de primeira linha na fibromialgia. CONCLUSÃO: Em nosso meio, os pacientes com fibromialgia geralmente passam por problemas como a demora diagnóstica, mau controle dos sintomas e tratamento não otimizado...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia is acondition featured by generalized pain, usually associated with fatigue, and cognitive, affective, and sleep disorders. The aim of this study was to describe the social-economical profile, and the performance in scales for evaluation of the disease; to compare the different classification criteria of fibromyalgia; and to describe other features of patients seen in an outpatient clinic of a university hospital. METHODS: The study was conducted through the analysis of EpiFibro questionnaires, applied to 146 women with fibromyalgia during medical consultation. RESULTS: Among the results, we highlight: greater sensibility of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology Criteria, compared to those of 1990's; patients low income and instruction levels; high prevalence of sleep disorders, headache and numbness; the long time between symptoms onset and diagnosis, and non-utilization of first line pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for fibromyalgia. CONCLUSION: In our area, patients with fibromyalgia have problems such as delay in diagnosis, poor symptom control and non-optimized treatment...

Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy in Patients 55 Years and Older: Results and Review of Literature

Over the years the immune system suffers many morphologic and functional alterations, which result in a peak of function in puberty and a gradual decrease in the elderly. Aim: Treat patients 55 years or older with allergic rhinitis with immunotherapy and then analyze the response to allergens. Materials and Methods: From June 2009 to July 2010, 104 charts of patients 55 years or older with allergic complaints were evaluated. The patients were selected by anamnesis, physical examination, and otorhinolaryngologic exam. The patients had cutaneous test for mites before and after 1 year of sublingual specific immunotherapy. The cutaneous response was classified as negative (absent), light, moderate, or severe. Results  Before vaccination, 42 (40.4%) patients were classified as having a severe form of allergy and 62 (59.6%) as having a moderate allergy. After the specific therapy, 40 (38.4%) patients were classified as negative (absent), 37 (35.6%) as light, 19 (18.3%) as moderate, and 8 (7.7%) as severe responses. Conclusion: Immunotherapy, a desensitization technique, is indicated in cases which patients cannot avoid the exposure to allergens and in situations where pharmacologic therapy is not ideal. Specific immunotherapy to treat the allergic rhinitis in elderly patients was efficient and had no collateral effects, and in addition to the clinical benefit, improvement in the cutaneous test could also be observed...