Hearing Loss in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure with Hemodialysis Treatment / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hemodialysis (HD) is a valid treatment modality in patients with chronic renal failure, but it has been noted as a possible cause of hearing impairment. There have been many efforts to elucidate the etiologic factors of hearing impairment in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) with HD. But, there were no identified causes of hearing impairment. This study was undertaken to determine the correlating factors and the degree and types of hearing impairment in patients with CRF with HD treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied clinical status of 46 patients (92 ears) with CRF with HD treatment about hearing threshold, blood level of hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), parathyroid hormone (PTH), b2-microglobulin, duration of HD, and erythropoietin treatment between August, 1998 and October, 1998 at hemodialysis room, Uijongbu St. Mary's Hospital. RESULTS: The 33 patients (60 ears) had hearing loss, and 15 patients (22 ears) among them had clinically significant hearing loss. In hearing loss group, 31 patients showed the sensorineural type, one conductive type, and one mixed type. There was no significant correlation between the degree of hearing impairment and duration of HD, level of hemoglobin, BUN, PTH and beta2-microglobulin. The group of CRF with diabetes mellitus (DM) showed high incidence of clinically significant hearing impairment. Erythropoietin treatment was negatively correlated with hearing impairment. CONCLUSION: DM was a probable cause of hearing impairment and treatment of anemia with erythro-poietin administration seemed to be a possible preventing factor.

A Case of Fibrous Dysplasia of the Ethmoid Bone Forming Intracranial Cyst / 대한이비인후과학회지

Fibrous dysplasia is a benign bone lesion characterized by the replacement of the normal substances of the interior of the bone by fibroosseous connective tissue histologically exhibiting varying degrees of osseous metaplasia. Craniofacial dysplasia represents approximately 2.5% of all bone tumors and 7.5% of benign bone tumors. Craniofacial dysplasia frequently affects the maxilla and frontal bone and induces local facial swelling and exophthalmos. The dysplasia has predilection for membranous bone such as femur or tibia, so its origin in the ethmoid is very rare. Recently, we experienced a case of fibrous dysplasia originating in the ethmoid bone extending to intracranial region. Our case demonstrated a huge bony lesion involving right ethmoid, frontal and sphenoid bone and extending to the left frontal area extensively forming a large dumbbell shaped cyst with thin calcified wall. There are no reported cases of fibrous dysplasia forming huge cyst in the intracranial region internationally. Hence, we report a case of fibrous dysplasia of ethmoid sinus forming the intracranial huge cyst.

A Case of Extracranial Chondroma of the Skull Base / 대한이비인후과학회지

The chondroma is a benign tumor that arises from the primordial cartilaginous skeleton. Chondromas can occur in the head and neck area, usually larynx, maxilla and base of the skull, but those arising from the basisphenoid and basiocciput are extremely rare. Most of the skull base chondromas described in the literature are extended intracranially, but only five cases of extracranial chondroma of the skull base have been described so far in the world literature. The authors have experienced one case of extracranial chondroma of the skull base with good result by extirpation of the lesion through sublabial-transseptal endoscopic approach.