Primary cytomegalovirus infection in pregnant egyptian women confirmed by cytomegalovirus IgG avidity testing

To determine the frequency of primary cytomegalovirus [CMV] infection in pregnant Egyptian women using CMV IgG avidity testing. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Suez Canal University Hospital, Ismailia, Egypt. A total of 546 pregnant women, presenting for routine antenatal screening, were tested for CMV IgG and IgM using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Sera from CMV IgM-positive women were tested by CMV IgG avidity assay All the 546 pregnant women were seropositive for anti-CMV IgG. Of the 546 women, 40 [7.3%] were positive or equivocal for IgM antibodies. All sera from the 40 women [IgG+/IgM+] showed a high or intermediate CMV IgG avidity index. Of the 40 women, 23 [57.5%] were in the second or third trimesters of pregnancy and had their first-trimester blood retrieved, and the tested CMV IgG avidity assay showed a high avidity index. Women who were IgM positive had no primary CMV infection in the index pregnancy as evidenced by the high CMV IgG avidity testing

Modified surgical treatment of atrophic rhinitis

The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of alternate periods of surgical closure of the nostrils in treating patients with atrophic rhinitis. A descriptive study was conducted involving 11 patients clinically diagnosed as atrophic rhinitis who underwent surgical closure of the nostrils alternately. These patients were treated in the Department of ENT, Al-Jamhori Teaching Hospital, Mosul, Iraq during the period from April 1990 to December 2004. The parameters analyzed included age, sex, clinical presentation and residence. Moreover, evaluation of the result of alternative periodic surgical closure of the nostrils was evaluated. The study was conducted on 11 patients with atrophic rhinitis [10 females and 1 male]. The average age was 16.2 years with a range of 13.20 years. The peak age incidence was 18th year of life. The most frequent clinical presentation was nasal obstruction in spite of wide nasal cavities. There was improvement of symptoms with regeneration of the nasal mucosa in 10 [90.9%] patients. All of the patients accepted this operation as the other nostril was left open to allow for a relatively functional nasal airway. The results of this series suggest that this technique is useful in the treatment of atrophic rhinitis

Choanal atresia

Posterior choanal atresia is an unusual congenital abnormality. The embryological explanation is not known with certainty and, in the neonates, it tends to produce an emergency situation regarding feeding difficulties and airway obstruction. The most appropriate surgical approaches seem to be the transpalata. In this study, an unusual presentation of a 14 years old female patient with bilateral choanal atresia is described. It is extremely rare to be seen at this age. The transpalatal approach at this age was an easy surgical procedure using the surgical microscope and the electric otological drill