The Correlation of Tongue Position with Voice / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The tongue acts as a swallowing moderator, articulator and resonance maker. The tongue may also affect voice production. Authors tried to determine the relationship between the tongue position and voice changes, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty normal subjects (male : female is 23: 27, Group A) between the ages of 20 and 30 years, and 40 subjects (male : female is 20: 28, Group B) with abnormal position of tongue (eg. ankyloglossia) between the ages of 20 and 40 years participated in this study. Subjects were asked about the history of hyperfunctional laryngeal disorders, such as, voice fatigue, frequent voice changes, odynophonia and globus symptoms. Afterwards, we made sure whether the tongue protruded over the lower lip, whether the tip had dimple shape when subject protruded the tongue, whether examiners grasped the tongue easily during laryngeal examination, and whether examiners could see the larynx easily during laryngeal examination or not. At last, concomitant laryngeal disorders were evaluated. RESULTS: The symptoms of hyperfunctional laryngeal disorders were more frequent in the group B. Abnormal tongue movements and functional laryngeal disorders were also more frequent in the group B. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that limited tongue movements may affect voice changes.

Two Cases of Fat Graft Myringoplasty / 대한이비인후과학회지

Tympanic membrane perforations are frequently encountered diseases and can be treated with several different methods, induding tympanoplasty with tympanic membrane grafting which requires more profound techniques and clinical care. A fat graft myringoplasty is a cost-effective techniquc managing small tympanic membrane perforations and is used when challenged by a myringoplasty failure, or following tympanostomy tube extrusion. It involves wedging a piece of fat from the ear lobule into the perforation with local anesthesia in a one-day-stay procedure. This study demonstrates the efficacy of this method in a persistent small tympanic membrane perforation.

Availability of Computer Aided Endoscopic Sinus Surgery / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is the choice of paranasal sinus surgery, hut its major complication (blindness, CNS trauma) can occur because of the dysharmony between preoperative CT images and perioperative endoscopic findings. Recently, Computer Aided Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (CAESS) reduced complications dramatically and the preoperative images of the surgical field of bony structures match exactly with the perioperative findings. We wanted to find ways to visualize the surgical anatomy and to operate exactly in the key area (frontal recess, natural osteum, sphenoid sinus) with CAESS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients (30 patients without history of sinus surgery and 10 returning patients who had history of sinus surgery) with nasal polyp were included for the study. Preoperative coronal CT and axial CT were checked. The first operation was classical ESS, the second operation was CAESS, and we compared the accuracy between them. RESULTS: Of 60 patients with nasal polyp, 45 (75%) were identified with frontal recess, 52 (87%) were identified with natural osteum, and 52 (87fo) were identified with sphenoid sinus. Of the patients returning for surgery (N=20), 9 (45%), 14 (70%), 11 (55%) were identified with Frontal recess, natural osteum, sphenoid sinus, respectively. When CAFSS was used, all key areas were identified. CONCLUSION: Frontal recess is the most difficult site to identify during ESS, and CAESS is very useful in cases which show distorted normal anatomy during frontal recess and sphenoid sinus operation.

Supernumerary Tooth in Nasal Cavity: Report of 1 Case / 대한이비인후과학회지

Supernumerary tooth, named mesodens, occur between the maxillary central incisors are generally found in pairs, although it is sometimes found singly. An inverted mesiodens may move toward the nasal cavity and erupt in the floor of the nose. Approximately 90% of all supernumerary tooth usually appear in the area of the maxilla, where they disrupt the position and eruption of normal teeth. A supernumerary tooth may closely resemble the teeth of the group to which it belongs, i.e., molars, premolars or anterior teeth.