Unusual Presentation of Second Branchial Cleft Cyst: Case Reports and Literature Review / 대한이비인후과학회지

Second branchial cleft cysts are the most common neck masses found in adults. However, the parapharyngeal presence of branchial cleft cyst is very rare. We report three cases of parapharyngeal branchial cleft cyst in adults. They suffered from frequent oropharyngeal infection or abscess. We performed a transoral resection without any surgical complications. Biopsy revealed a squamous lined epithelial wall with lymphoid aggregation, which is characteristic of branchial cleft cyst. No evidence of recurrence was observed in 2 years.

A Case of Pharyngitis Caused by Clinostomum complanatum / 대한이비인후과학회지

A 13-year-old female patient visited the otolaryngology clinic with complaints of a moving foreign body sensation in her throat. The patient used to eat raw fish and she had eaten mullet sashimi a week before. During laryngoscopy for the pharynx and larynx, a motile fluke was found attached to the posterolateral nasopharyngeal wall. The worm was easily removed and identified as Clinostomum complanatum (C. complanatum) after morphological observation. C. complanatum is a digenetic trematode which usually infects fish-eating birds. Human infection by C. complanatum is very rare, and if a human eats infected raw fish, the worm can be on the pharyngeal or laryngeal mucosa. Human cases of parasitic C. complanatum infection have been reported twice in Korea, with the present report being the first case in the otolaryngology field.

A Case of Optic Neuropathy Secondary to Sphenoid Sinus Aspergillosis

Orbital complication of an isolated sphenoid sinus lesion is rare. We recently experienced one case of optic neuropathy secondary to sphenoid sinus Aspergillosis. The patient presented with a headache and diplopia. Imaging and histology showed a sphenoid sinus lesion, andthe patientunderwent endoscopic sinus surgery. Because of the disease progression after the surgery,the patient was administered an anti-fungal agent underclinical suspicion ofan invasive fungal sinusitis infection before receiving histologic confirmation of tissue invasion by fungal hyphae. The disease stabilized in three months by using approximately one month of anti-fungal agent. The type of treatment required for sphenoid sinus lesions depends on the extent of the disease upon initial examination as well ason the rapidity of diseaseprogression.

The Relationship of Intra-Annual Distribution of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss versus Meteorological Parameters / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The influence of specific meteorological conditions, such as temperature, wind velocity, fine dust and their co-variation on the incidence of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) has been rarely investigated. Aiming at better predictions of the seasonal variation of ISSHL, we investigated variations in the monthly incidence of ISSHL and meteorological parameters. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: One-hundred-five patients who had been diagnosed with ISSHL were analyzed. Monthly incidence counts were analyzed for incidence distributions throughout the year. The incidence counts were investigated according to age groups and hearing recovery. The relationship between intra-annual distribution of ISSHL and meteorological parameters was compared. RESULTS: The highest of monthly incidence was found in March and April. Intra-annual distribution of ISSHL was well correlated with daily temperature range, wind velocity and fine dust. The incidence of ISSHL was significantly correlated to fine dust. The distribution of age group and hearing recovery of ISSHL in March and April were not different with the rest of the year. CONCLUSION: We concluded that ISSHL incidences are significantly related to seasonal variation and the highest is found in March and April. This provides valuable information for clinicians, creating an awareness of periods of potentially increased risk.