Vestibular migraine: a manifestation of long COVID syndrome in children.

Long COVID-19 syndrome has been reported among children and adolescents following COVID-19 recovery. Among them, notable symptoms include myalgia, insomnia, loss of smell and headache. Yet, novel manifestations are being discovered daily. Herein, we report two cases of vestibular migraine post-COVID-19 involving two children who presented with vestibular migraine symptoms following COVID-19 infection and their management. Children post-COVID-19 should be thoroughly evaluated for vestibular migraine symptoms so they can be managed promptly. This is the first article to report vestibular migraine as a manifestation of long COVID-19 syndrome.

Acute unilateral isolated ptosis as a complication of sinusitis in a post-COVID-19 patient.

A fit and well young man presented to our emergency department in the UK. On examination, he had an isolated left-sided ptosis; he had a 3-day history of frontal headache which was worse on head movement. He lacked any clinical signs of cranial, orbital, or preseptal infection, and his eye movements were normal. Ten days before presentation, he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Inflammatory markers were moderately raised, and CT of the head did not reveal any vascular abnormality or intracranial lesion. Imaging revealed opacification, predominantly in the left facial sinuses, keeping with sinusitis. He was discharged the same evening with oral antibiotics and made a full recovery over the next few days. He remained well at 6-month follow-up. The authors convey their findings to raise awareness of a rare complication of sinusitis and to demonstrate the utility of CT imaging for diagnosing sinusitis and ruling out severe pathology.

Experience of sudden sensorineural hearing loss following a mild COVID-19 infection.

A woman in her 30s was referred to an otolaryngologist with an acute onset of aural fullness, noise sensitivity, unilateral sudden onset hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus. She had a confirmed COVID-19 infection 5 weeks prior. A pure tone audiogram confirmed sensorineural hearing loss. MRI identified an empty sella of the pituitary gland and without an obvious cause for hearing loss. Oral prednisolone and betahistine were prescribed, and her audiovestibular symptoms slowly improved over the subsequent months. The patient continues to experience intermittent tinnitus.

Complex Lemierre syndrome with multisystemic abscesses.

We present here the challenging case of severe Lemierre syndrome in a healthy woman in her late twenties, whose clinical presentation was characterised by lung abscesses and disseminated systemic abscesses in the brain, the abdomen and the soft-tissues, as a likely consequence of a patent foramen ovale. Blood cultures were positive for Fusobacterium necrophorum and a right lingual vein thrombosis was detected at a late stage when the patient developed a septic shock. Initial antimicrobial therapy with metronidazole and ceftriaxone was modified to meropenem due to progressive worsening. The patient underwent laparoscopy and neurosurgical drainage of a cerebral abscess. She spent many days in the intensive care unit and recovered fully after 6 weeks on meropenem therapy. Although considered rare, the incidence of Lemierre syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, is increasing. The clinician should promptly recognise and treat it while being aware of its potential atypical presentations.

Intratemporal mucormycosis: a rare COVID-19 sequelae.

A man in his 50s presented with a 2-month history of left ear discharge associated with hearing loss and weakness of left half of face since 15 days. The patient had no comorbidities, but he gave history of being treated for COVID-19 pneumonia 2 months ago post which he started experiencing left-sided aural symptoms. Clinical examination of ear revealed a subtotal perforation with multiple granulations in middle ear. Facial nerve examination revealed grade 3 lower motor neuron palsy. The biopsy of the granulations was sent to aid in diagnosis which later confirmed left ear mucormycosis. Otological involvement with facial palsy and sudden sensorineural loss in a patient with prior history of COVID-19 has not been reported until in literature. We try to communicate our experience to bridge the gap in understanding and managing this extremely rare occurrence of mucormycosis in the ear of a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 infection.

Development of a mobile tele-education system to assist remote otolaryngology learning during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Developing clinical thinking competence (CTC) is crucial for physicians, but effective methods for cultivation and evaluation are a significant challenge. Classroom teaching and paper-and-pencil tests are insufficient, and clinical field learning is difficult to implement, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simulation learning is a useful alternative, but existing methods, e.g., OSCE, 3D AR/VR, and SimMan, have limitations in terms of time, space, and cost. Objective: This study aims to present the design and development of an Otolaryngology Mobile Tele-education System (OMTS) to facilitate CTC learning, and to evaluate the system's usability with senior otolaryngology experts. Methods: The OMTS system utilizes the convenience of mobile learning and the touch function of mobile devices to assist users (medical students or post-graduate physicians) in learning CTC remotely. Clinical knowledge and system functions in the OMTS system are defined by senior experts based on required CTC learning cases. Through simulated clinical case scenarios, users can engage in interactive clinical inquiry, practice required physical and laboratory examinations, make treatment decisions based on simulated responses, and understand and correct learning problems through a diagnostic report for effective learning. Usability testing of the OMTS system was evaluated by three senior otolaryngology experts using measurements of content validity, system usability, and mental workload during their available time and location. Results: Statistical results of experts' evaluation showed that the OMTS system has good content validity, marginal-to-acceptable system usability, and moderate mental workload. Experts agreed that the system was efficient, professional, and usable for learning, although the practicality of the clinical inquiry and hands-on practice functions could be improved further. Conclusions: Based on the OMTS system, users can efficiently hands-on practice and learn clinical cases in otolaryngology, and understand and correct their problems according to the diagnostic report. Therefore, the OMTS system can be expected to facilitate CTC learning according to experts' evaluation.

Isolated thyroid abscess in early childhood.

Isolated thyroid abscess is a rare entity in early childhood. Among thyroid disorders, thyroid abscess or acute suppurative thyroiditis constitutes about 0.7%-1% of all cases. The thyroid gland is normally resistant to infections due to its well-enveloped capsule, rich blood supply, and high iodine content.A child presented with tender neck swelling accompanied by fever for 3 days. Ultrasound of the neck showed features suggestive of left parapharyngeal abscess. Laboratory parameters including thyroid function test were within normal limits. Contrast-enhanced CT of the neck was done and showed an isolated thyroid abscess with no other abnormalities. The patient was started on intravenous antibiotics followed by incision and drainage of the abscess. The child improved symptomatically. This report discusses the differential diagnosis and management of this rare entity.

Establishing local manufacture of PPE for healthcare workers in the time of a global pandemic.

A face shield is a secondary personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers (HCW). Worn with the appropriate face masks/respirators, it provides short term barrier protection against potentially infectious droplet particles. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a spike in demand for PPE, leading to a shortage and risking the safety of HCW. Transport restrictions further challenged the existing PPE supply chain which has been reliant on overseas-based manufacturers. Despite the urgency in demand, PPE must be properly tested for functionality and quality. We describe the establishment of local face shields manufacture in Western Australia to ensure adequate PPE for HCW. Ten thousand face shields for general use (standard) and for ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist use were produced. Materials and design considerations are described, and the face shields were vigorously tested to the relevant Standards to ensure their effectiveness as a protective barrier, including splash and impact resistance. Comparative testing with traditional and other novel face shields was also undertaken. Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) licence was obtained to manufacture and supply the face shields as a Class I medical device. The swiftness of process is a credit to collaboration from industry, academia and healthcare.

Concurrent facial and trigeminal nerve palsies in a child following COVID-19 vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine.

We present the case of a teenaged boy who attended our Ear, Nose and Throat Emergency clinic with a left-sided lower motor neuron (LMN) facial nerve paralysis associated with sensory loss in the distribution of the ophthalmic (V1) and maxillary (V2) divisions of the trigeminal nerve. This happened 3 days following a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine. He had a House-Brackmann grade V facial palsy, with marked inability to close the left eye. He was treated with a 10-day course of oral steroids and referred to ophthalmology for eye care. He had an MRI scan of the head, which revealed no space occupying lesions or other abnormalities. Over the 6-week period of follow-up, the patient's V1 and V2 sensation gradually resolved, along with improvement of his LMN facial nerve palsy to House-Brackmann grade 3. Despite the potential temporal relationship, it is not possible to establish a causal relationship between the patient's symptoms and the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, thus further research is required.

Surgical management of pneumomediastinum in the COVID-19 patient.

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to infect millions of people worldwide, the medical profession is seeing a wide range of short-term and long-term complications of COVID-19. One lesser-known complication is that of pneumomediastinum. This is a rare, but significant, complication defined by the presence of air in the mediastinum with an incidence of 1.2 per 100 000. Described mortality rate is 30%, increasing to 60% in patients with concomitant pneumothoraces. Management of pneumomediastinum is typically conservative, but in cases of extensive subcutaneous emphysema, cardiac or airway compression, life-saving surgical decompression is necessary. We report a case of pneumomediastinum secondary to COVID-19, requiring a surgical approach not described in pneumomediastinum secondary to COVID-19. The case demonstrates the importance of prompt diagnosis and management, as well as the potential for good clinical outcome in selected patients.

Hazardous giant pharyngoesophageal liposarcoma.

A man in his early 80s presented to the otorhinolaryngology department with progressively worsening dysphagia to solids and a recent episode of difficulty breathing accompanied by a very brief expulsion of a solid mass from the mouth. Based on the endoscopic appearance of a fatty lesion of an elongated mass with a thick stalk on the posterior pharyngeal wall, a diagnosis of the benign fibrovascular polyp was given after clinical and radiological correlation. The pharyngeal polyp was resected at the base of its pedicle by transoral endoscopy with a thunder beat vessel sealing device. Histopathological examination of the mass revealed a well-differentiated liposarcoma composed of mature adipocytes. Following surgical excision, the patient made a full recovery. This case signifies the integrated role of preoperative biopsy, new surgical technologies and targeted therapies in managing pharyngoesophageal polyps.

An observational multi-centric COVID-19 sequelae study among health care workers.

Background: India has seen more than 43 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of April 2022, with a recovery rate of 98.8%, resulting in a large section of the population including the healthcare workers (HCWs), susceptible to develop post COVID sequelae. This study was carried out to assess the nature and prevalence of medical sequelae following COVID-19 infection, and risk factors, if any. Methods: This was an observational, multicenter cross-sectional study conducted at eight tertiary care centers. The consenting participants were HCWs between 12 and 52 weeks post discharge after COVID-19 infection. Data on demographics, medical history, clinical features of COVID-19 and various symptoms of COVID sequelae was collected through specific questionnaire. Finding: Mean age of the 679 eligible participants was 31.49 ± 9.54 years. The overall prevalence of COVID sequelae was 30.34%, with fatigue (11.5%) being the most common followed by insomnia (8.5%), difficulty in breathing during activity (6%) and pain in joints (5%). The odds of having any sequelae were significantly higher among participants who had moderate to severe COVID-19 (OR 6.51; 95% CI 3.46-12.23) and lower among males (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.39-0.76). Besides these, other predictors for having sequelae were age (≥45 years), presence of any comorbidity (especially hypertension and asthma), category of HCW (non-doctors vs doctors) and hospitalisation due to COVID-19. Interpretation: Approximately one-third of the participants experienced COVID sequelae. Severity of COVID illness, female gender, advanced age, co-morbidity were significant risk factors for COVID sequelae. Funding: This work is a part of Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)- Rational Use of Medicines network. No additional financial support was received from ICMR to carry out the work, for study materials, medical writing, and APC.

Ultrasound-assisted management of filler-related complications: Report of a successful treatment of delayed-onset nodules related to polycaprolactone-based filler.

A 60-year-old woman underwent polycaprolactone-based filler injection in her midface. Four months later, she developed progressive swelling of midface after a self-limiting viral gastroenteritis. The diagnosis was "delayed-onset immune-mediated nodule formation triggered by a virus." Ultrasonography enabled us to efficiently treat her with a tailored intralesional corticosteroid injection method.

A case of left foot drop as initial symptom of granulomatosis with polyangiitis: Triggered by COVID-19 disease?

In Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), involvement of the peripheral nervous system is frequent but its occurrence as an initial presentation is unusual. This case highlights the importance of this occurrence to permit an early diagnosis. Moreover, GPA started after a coronavirus disease 2019 infection and could have been induced by this.

Unilateral, permanent hearing loss following severe COVID-19 infection.

Hearing loss following COVID-19 infection has been scarcely reported in the literature.A previously well middle-aged man presented to the emergency department with breathlessness and cough 8 days after testing positive for COVID-19 in the community. The patient was treated in the intensive care unit due to respiratory failure. Following extubation and step down to ward-level care 2 months later, the patient reported sudden left-sided hearing loss and tinnitus. Ear examination was unremarkable and pure tone audiometry revealed profound left sensorineural hearing loss. MRI of the internal acoustic meatus did not show any cerebellopontine lesions. Intravenous steroid therapy as well as oral steroids were not successful in improvement of hearing.A few cases of COVID-19-associated sensorineural hearing loss have been reported; the majority report irreversible loss. Awareness of this phenomenon and early referral for specialist review and audiological assessment to attempt salvage of hearing can reduce hearing disability.

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgery waitlists in regional centres

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] impacted many aspects of healthcare in Australia, particularly already strained elective surgery waiting lists in regional areas. Elective operating was suspended throughout New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (Vic) despite cases being predominantly located in metropolitan centres. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of COVID-19 on patients' time spent on Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) elective surgery waiting lists and the likelihood of breaching recommended waiting times. Methods: Elective ENT operating data was collected from Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) and Dubbo Health Service (DHS) between March 2019 and February 2021. Data was analysed based on the time period (March 2019-February 2020 = pre-COVID, March 2020-February 2021 = COVID) and priority category (1, 2 or 3 based on clinical urgency). Results: A total of 2,915 operations were recorded across the two sites during the study period. There were statistically significant increases in both the length of time spent on waiting lists as well as the likelihood of breaching recommended waiting times following the arrival of COVID-19. This was true for both sites as well as across all priority categories. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a significant increase on the length of time patients spent on elective surgery waiting lists as well as the likelihood of these patients breaching recommended surgery waiting times following COVID-19 pandemic. The shutdown of elective surgery due to the pandemic has had an unnecessarily large impact on regional areas where case numbers were initially low and local services are already stretched. During future waves, a region-specific response involving elective surgery shutdown is recommended, rather than a state-wide or nationwide approach. © 2022 Australian Journal of Otolaryngology. All rights reserved.

Nasal septal abscess following septoplasty in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

A man in his 50s with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) presented with a nasal septal abscess 3 weeks following septoplasty. Diabetes mellitus has been reported in association with nasal septal abscess, thought to be due to a relative immunodeficient state. We present an unusual, delayed presentation of nasal septal abscess following septoplasty and performed a literature review. Nasal septal abscess is rare. It is associated with significant complications if not diagnosed and management expediently. The association between T2DM and nasal septal abscess following septoplasty emphasises the importance of good perioperative blood sugar control and postoperative nasal care and raises the question of empirical antibiotics in this group.

Intratympanic steroid treatments rescued recurrent hearing loss following COVID-19 vaccination and detection of an intralabyrinthine schwannoma.

It remains unclear how to effectively treat rare cases of sudden and recurrent hearing losses which might coincidently follow vaccination. We report the first case, to our knowledge, of systemic and local steroid administration to successfully treat sudden and recurrent left-ear hearing loss, respectively, following a second dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccination which inflammatory response potentially affected an existing left intralabyrinthine schwannoma in a young male patient. This case highlights the importance and timing of intratympanic steroid treatment strategies to suppress the progressive symptoms and restore hearing to a stable condition, and therefore avoid permanent hearing loss which would otherwise demand a surgical removal of the schwannoma to improve vertigo and reconstitute artificial hearing.

Phantosmia and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in a patient with burning mouth syndrome suffering from severe depression.

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a rare but serious medical condition with important psychiatric comorbidity and specific psychological correlates. Psychopathology related with BMS represents a real challenge for clinical decision-making. In this case, depression is the leading psychiatric diagnosis associated with patient's BMS somatic pain and is driven by anxiety and a dissociative functioning. Facing a complex psychosomatic symptomatology, we offer new clinical perspectives for the screening of psychological traits of BMS. Moreover, we highlight the need to foster interdisciplinarity to improve differential diagnosis and defining an optimal care path. This case report stimulates a reflection on management challenges for the consultation-liaison psychiatry and shows the importance of a person-centred approach when communicating the diagnosis.

Batwing incision for a case of bilateral fungal zygomatic osteomyelitis.

Zygomatic osteomyelitis is a rare occurrence due to rich collateral blood supply of bone. A man in his 30s presented with complaints of pain over bilateral cheek and pus discharge below the eye on lateral aspect. He was a known case of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis postendoscopic debridement of sinuses 3 months back. Radiology revealed bilateral destruction of zygoma with discharging sinus. Microbiological analysis confirmed aseptate hyphae in pus, and a diagnosis of bilateral fungal zygomatic osteomyelitis made. Under general anaesthesia, sequestrectomy done using bilateral lateral rhinotomy with extended Dieffenbach's approach (batwing incision). Postsurgery 3000 mg of liposomal amphotericin was administered. There was no enophthalmos or restricted eye movements postoperatively. Follow-up MRI suggested minimal inflammatory enhancement in maxillary sinus. Patient was discharged on oral antifungals.