Evaluation of Iranian pediatric specialists' attitude and knowledge regarding approach to patients with acute otitis media

The ministry of health and medical education of Iran and many other countries advice physicians to use this guideline for diagnosis and treatment of acute otitis media [AOM], but there is not any evaluation of effectiveness and obedience of this guideline, so the aim of this study was to evaluate the attitude of pediatricians, the most important group that interfere with these patients in treatment of acute otitis media. A total of 120 anonymous surveys were mailed to 120 pediatrician in Tehran [Iran] to evaluate pattern of diagnosis and treatment of AOM in these physicians. Age, gender, place of work, attitude of diagnosis and treatment were asked by anonymous survey. Sixty-two completed surveys were received, for a response rate of 51%. There was no significant difference between responders in these survey and scenarios, according to sex, age, practice setting, graduation year or the number of AOM patients visiting each month. Our study seems to add new insights to the previous literature on management of AOM according to guideline. We can assess the impact of guidelines on the usual practice of practitioners in evidenced-based management of AOM

Comparison of long terms follow up results in patients with cervical disk disease treated with anterior PEEK cage implantation and without it in Rasoul Akram Hospital

Anterior interbody fusion of the cervical spine have become the gold standard for treating spinal diseases, hence the aim of this study was to compare long term follow up results in patients with cervical disk disease treated with anterior PEEK cage implantation and without it in anterior approach. Retrospectively 63 patients with known cervical discogenic disorders who went under surgery with and without cage implantation were enrolled. The neurological examination and neurologic function were assessed by using the Japanese Orthopedic Association [JOA] scoring system and neurological cervical spine scale [NCSS] before and 8 years after surgery in each patient and at the end all complications were recorded. In the first group, there were 15 males and 14 females [mean age: 49 +/- 10 years] and in the second group there were 27 male and 7 female [mean age: 47 +/- 9 years]. The NCSS score was significantly different between two groups after surgery [p=0.035] but there was no significant difference before surgery [p=0.163]. No statistical significance difference was also observed in JOA score and complications before and after procedure, but JOA post surgery score between two groups had significant difference [p=0.047]. In conclusion, present study showed that PEEK cage implantation is a highly useful alternative to the conventional treatment methods