Evaluation of the efficacy of surgery for treatment of septal perforation

Background: The majority of septal perforations are caused by trauma either with or without infection. In most cases trauma is related to the surgery

Methods: Twenty patients with nasal perforation who underwent surgery from 2008 to 2011 were retrospectively evaluated. Three different surgical approaches were used: bilateral rotational advancement flap of nose floor with fascia through open rhinoplasty, bilateral rotational advancement flap of nose floor with using cartilage through closed method and inferior turbinate rotational flap

Results: After the surgery, all symptoms disappeared and examinations of healing regions in fifteen patients showed that the perforation was completely healed. In five patients, the perforation size reduced

Conclusion: Inferior turbinate flap in small perforations would be a logical method with ideal results. In cases with perforation size of one centimeter or larger and in more posterior types, the external method is recommended for a better exposure

Does post septoplasty nasal packing reduce complications?

The main issues in nasal surgery are to stabilize the nose in the good position after surgery and preserve the cartilages and bones in the favorable situation and reduce the risk of deviation recurrence. Also it is necessary to avoid the synechia formation, nasal valve narrowing, hematoma and bleeding. Due to the above mentioned problems and in order to solve and minimize them nasal packing, nasal splint and nasal mold have been advised. Patients for whom the nasal packing used may faced to some problems like naso-pulmonary reflex, intractable pain, sleep disorder, post operation infection and very dangerous complication like toxic shock syndrome. We have two groups of patients and three surgeons [one of the surgeons used post operative nasal packing in his patients and the two others surgeons did not].Complications and morbidities were compared in these two groups. Comparing the two groups showed that the rate of complication and morbidities between these two groups were same and the differences were not valuable, except the pain and discomfort post operatively and at the time of its removal. Nasal packing has several risks for the patients while its effects are not studied. Septoplasty can be safely performed without postoperative nasal packing. Nasal packing had no main findings that compensated its usage. Septal suture is one of the procedures that can be used as alternative method to nasal packing. Therefore the nasal packing after septoplasty should be reserved for the patients with increased risk of bleeding

Epidemiologic and clinicopathologic characteristics of tongue cancer in Iranian patients

Oral cancer is considered a great threat to public health. Tongue cancer accounts for nearly 30% of all oral cancers and usually seen in 50 to 60 year old men. Oropharyngeal cancers account for 3% of all cancers in Iran; as reported in 2003. The present study was designed to assess the epidemiologic and Clinicopathologic characteristics of tongue cancer patients in two Tehran's referral university hospital between the years 2003 and 2008. In a retrospective study 87 files of patients, diagnosed with tongue cancer who were referred to Imam Khomeini and Loghman Hospitals and Iranian Cancer linstitute in Tehran-Iran from 2003 to 2008 were reviewed. Participants were selected from all the patients who had a record of their specimens in the pathology ward registry and their tongue cancer diagnosis was confirmed by a expert pathologist. Patients characteristics [age, gender and presence of risk factors] and chief complain at the time of diagnosis and their tumor related data [type of cancer, staging, grading, morphology and location of tumor] were recorded. Tongue cancer was most frequently seen in the eighth decade of life among both men and women, but had the lowest frequency among patients with less than 40 years of age. Squamous cell carcinoma had the highest prevalence in our patients. Tongue cancer was the most common cancer of oral cavity among Iranian patients and similar epidemiologic and chnicopathological characteristics of the disease were found in our patients. Assessing variables such as socioeconomic levels and religious believe require further studies with large sample sizes

Neuro-otologic manifestations of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis [MS] has numerous neurologic signs and symptoms, including hearing impairment. The reports concerning the type and severity of hearing loss in MS patients vary and little is known about an association of the disease characteristics with changes in hearing status. To find the otologic and neuro-otologic manifestations of MS with the use of routine hearing assessment tools. The presence of neuro-otologic signs and symptoms were studied in 30 patients diagnosed with MS. Patients underwent pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and acoustic brain stem response [ABR] tests. The results were compared with 30 healthy age and sex matched controls. The most common finding was sensory-neural hearing loss followed by dizziness and nystagmus. The shape of the audiogram and severity of hearing loss was associated with both chronicity and disease activity. There were abnormal latencies in ABR waves which were more significant with high velocity stimulus. Hearing status deserves careful attention in MS patients. It may be used as a diagnostic means or an indicator for evaluating the characteristics of the underlying disease

Sinonasal hemangiopericytoma: a case report

Hemangiopericytoma is a vascular tumor that is rarely seen in the nose and paranasal sinuses. Biological behavior of these tumors is not completely known, and their natural history is not predictable. This case report presents a patient with a sinonasal hemangiopericytoma. Diagnosis and management of these uncommon tumors is discussed