Extended Epitympanotomy for Facial Nerve Decompression as a Minimally Invasive Approach

For a minimally invasive approach to access the facial nerve, we designed an extended epitympanotomy via a transmastoid approach that has proven useful in cases of traumatic facial nerve palsy and pre-cholesteatoma. To evaluate the surgical exposure through an extended epitympanotomy, six patients with traumatic facial nerve palsy were enrolled in this study. The same surgical technique was used in all patients. Patients were assessed and the degree of facial nerve paralysis was determined prior to surgery, 1-week post-operatively, and 6-months post-operatively using the House-Brackmann grading system. In all cases, surgical exposure was adequate. All patients with traumatic facial nerve palsy were male and the age range was 13 to 83 years. In all cases, the location of the facial nerve damage was limited to the area between the first and second genu. Symptoms of all the patients improved by 6 months post-operation (p=0.024). There were no complications in any of the patients. Extended epitympanotomy is useful for safe, rapid surgical exposure of the attic area, sparing the patient post-operative dimpling, skin incision complications, and lengthy exposure to anesthesia. We suggest that surgery for patients with facial nerve palsy secondary to trauma be performed using this described technique.

The Changing Pattern of Published Articles in the Field of Otology: 1818 to Today

To examine and identify the changing pattern of published articles in the otology literature over the past several decades. We used a variety of search engines available through PubMed.gov based on key words in the following categories: diagnosis, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic tools. The number of searchable key words increased from 1945 to the present. Overall, there has been a major shift in topics cover in the otological literature. Most recently, there has been significant increases in the following categories: age-related hearing loss, speech discrimination, and cochlear implantation. Based on this analysis, we believe these represent the areas of major research in the field of otology today. The present study is a bibliometric analysis of the changing pattern of published articles using a new analytic approach. The results identify the shifting topics of research in otology and might be helpful for future studies in Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

The Changing Pattern of Published Articles in the Field of Otology: 1818 to Today

To examine and identify the changing pattern of published articles in the otology literature over the past several decades. We used a variety of search engines available through PubMed.gov based on key words in the following categories: diagnosis, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic tools. The number of searchable key words increased from 1945 to the present. Overall, there has been a major shift in topics cover in the otological literature. Most recently, there has been significant increases in the following categories: age-related hearing loss, speech discrimination, and cochlear implantation. Based on this analysis, we believe these represent the areas of major research in the field of otology today. The present study is a bibliometric analysis of the changing pattern of published articles using a new analytic approach. The results identify the shifting topics of research in otology and might be helpful for future studies in Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

Fabrication and Characterization of Hydrocolloid Dressing with Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles for Wound Healing

Hydrocolloid dressings have been developed for many types of wound healing. In particular, dressing is a critical component in the successful recover of burn injuries, which causes a great number of people to not only suffer from physical but also psychological and economic anguish each year. Additionally, silk fibroin is the safest material for tissue engineering due to biocompatibility. In this study, we fabricated hydrocolloid dressings incorporating silk fibroin nanoparticles to enhance the efficacy of hydrocolloid dressing and then use this silk fibroin nanoparticle hydrocolloid dressing (SFNHD) in animal models to treat burn wounds. The structures and properties of SFNHD were characterized using tensile strength and Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The results indicated the structural stability and the cellular biocompatibility of the hydrocolloid dressing suggesting that SFNHD can be applied to the treatment of wounds. To demonstrate the capacity of a silk fibroin hydrocolloid dressing to treat burn wounds, we compared SFNHD to gauze and Neoderm®, a commercially available dressing. This study clearly demonstrated accelerated wound healing with greater wound structural integrity and minimal wound size after treatment with SFNHD. These observations indicate that SFNHD may be an improvement upon current standard dressings such as Gauze and Neoderm® for burn wounds.