Light-Emitting Diode-Assisted Narrow Band Imaging Video Endoscopy System in Head and Neck Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To validate the effectiveness of a newly developed light-emitting diode (LED)-narrow band imaging (NBI) system for detecting early malignant tumors in the oral cavity. METHODS: Six men (mean age, 51.5 years) with early oral mucosa lesions were screened using both the conventional white light and LED-NBI systems. RESULTS: Small elevated or ulcerative lesions were found under the white light view, and typical scattered brown spots were identified after shifting to the LED-NBI view for all six patients. Histopathological examination confirmed squamous cell carcinoma. The clinical stage was early malignant lesions (T1), and the patients underwent wide excision for primary cancer. This is the pilot study documenting the utility of a new LED-NBI system as an adjunctive technique to detect early oral cancer using the diagnostic criterion of the presence of typical scattered brown spots in six high-risk patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although large-scale screening programs should be established to further verify the accuracy of this technology, its lower power consumption, lower heat emission, and higher luminous efficiency appear promising for future clinical applications.

A Case of Tympanogenic Labyrinthitis Complicated by Acute Otitis Media

Widespread use of antimicrobial drugs in the management of otitis media has significantly reduced the incidence of labyrinthitis nowadays. Cases of tympanogenic labyrinthitis following acute otitis media have rarely been reported in recent literature on otolaryngology. We report an unusual case of tympanogenic labyrinthitis that presented with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) following acute otitis media in an adult who had no previous otological complaints. An audiogram revealed SNHL with pure tone threshold of 43.7 dB in the left ear. MRI was helpful to identify the inflammatory change of the membranous labyrinth. The patient's hearing returned to normal after treatment. The definite diagnosis of serous labyrinthitis was established retrospectively.