To X-Ray or Not to X-Ray? Discussing Unknown Nasal Foreign Bodies and Button Batteries.

The emergency of esophageal button batteries is recognized. Foreign bodies in the ear or nose are treated as comparatively nonemergent. We present the case of a child who presented with suspected pen-nib in the nostril to highlight the importance of investigation and intervention in unwitnessed nasal foreign body and review the literature regarding X-rays in these cases. Fifteen papers were identified as per search parameters; 3 papers recommend the use of plain radiographs for nasal foreign bodies. We propose that in unwitnessed pediatric nasal foreign body insertion, a facial X-ray should be considered, especially if suspecting a metallic foreign body.

Safe surgical tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19: key clinical considerations.

Surgical tracheostomy is a high aerosol-generating procedure that is an essential aid to the recovery of patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 pneumonia. We present a single-centre case series of 16 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who underwent tracheostomy. We recommend that the patient selection criteria for achieving a favourable outcome should be based on fraction of inspired oxygen together with prone-position ventilation. As with any challenging situation, the importance of effective communication is paramount. The critical modifications in the surgical steps are clearly explained. Timely tracheostomy also leads to an earlier freeing up of ventilator space during a period of a rapidly escalating pandemic. The outcomes in terms of swallow and speech function were also assessed. The study has also helped to remove the anxiety around open a tracheostomy in patients who are COVID-19 positive.

Does tonsillectomy improve quality of life in adults? A systematic literature review.

AIM: To determine whether tonsillectomy improves quality of life in adults suffering from chronic or recurrent tonsillitis. METHOD: A systematic literature search of the Medline and Pubmed databases was conducted in order to identify all relevant studies measuring quality of life directly. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Eight studies were identified. The Glasgow Benefit Inventory and the Short Form questionnaire were the main tools used to assess quality of life changes. Tonsillectomy is likely to improve the overall quality of life as it particularly improves patients' physical and general health. The social benefits of tonsillectomy appear to be non-significant. The effects are likely to be long-lasting and have a greater impact on younger patients. The presence of coexisting chronic conditions and the severity of infective symptoms due to tonsillitis are also influencing factors.

Citrobacter freundii causing pharyngitis and secondary retropharyngeal abscess with intrathoracic extension to the diaphragm: minimally invasive management of a rare case.

INTRODUCTION: Citrobacter freundii is a rare but potentially aggressive cause of pharyngitis which may progress to retropharyngeal abscess with diaphragmatic extension. OBJECTIVE: To raise awareness of: (1) citrobacter as a potential cause of head and neck infection, including retropharyngeal abscess; (2) a novel surgical approach to draining such an abscess; and (3) citrobacter's particular biological properties which may affect the clinical course. METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: The abscess was drained via a minimally invasive posterior pharyngeal wall incision and placement of a suction catheter into the mediastinum through this incision. Residual intrathoracic collections were drained by the cardiothoracic team via percutaneous aspiration. The patient made a full recovery. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of citrobacter head and neck infections, an awareness of the peculiarities of the clinical course of such infections, and timely surgical intervention can prevent catastrophic outcomes. A minimally invasive approach to mediastinal collections can be considered as a viable alternative to open thoracotomy, which carries a high morbidity rate.

Juvenile angiofibroma of the maxillary sinus.

Primary extra-nasopharyngeal sites of angiofibromas are extremely unusual. We describe a rare case of extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in a one year old child arising from the left maxilla and indirectly involving the lacrimal system. The initial presentation was of a swelling in the region of the left medial canthus. Only four cases of extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibromas in children below the age of two have been described. We review the literature on what is known about extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibromas.

Is the routine use of antibiotics justified in adult tonsillectomy?

Pain and secondary haemorrhage are the commonest complications of adult tonsillectomy, occurring mostly in the community. This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective trial of the effect of perioperative amoxycillin on these complications. The incidence and severity of post-operative haemorrhage was measured. For the first 10 post-operative days patients provided a linear pain score, a record of GP visits, and their use of additional antibiotics and analgesics. Of 95 patients considered: 23 suffered a secondary haemorrhage; 54 consulted their general practitioner (GP) because of pain; additional antibiotics were used by at least 31 and additional analgesics by at least 41. No significant differences were demonstrated between the active and placebo groups for any of these measures. This study demonstrates that secondary haemorrhage is common after adult tonsillectomy. Post-operative pain remains a major problem requiring frequent GP consultations. There appears to be no justification for the routine use of perioperative antibiotics.

Arterial blood supply to the auditory cortex of the chinchilla.

Utilizing optical imaging we identified and named the arteries that supply the primary auditory cortex in the chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger). The primary auditory cortex is located 2-3 mm caudal to the medial cerebral artery and is supplied by it. Using corrosion casts and scanning electron microscopy we visualized the capillary networks in the auditory cortex and found regional variations in the densities of the capillary bed. We hypothesize that the uneven capillary densities observed in the auditory cortex correspond to neurologically more active areas.

Assessment of vocabulary development in children after cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess vocabulary development in children following cochlear implantation and to evaluate the effect of age at implantation on performance. DESIGN: Retrospective study (mean follow-up, 3(1/2) years). SETTING: Tertiary center. PATIENTS: Children with prelingual deafness provided with a cochlear implant between 1988 and 1999, who serially performed the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (60 patients) and the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (52 patients). The children were subgrouped into those receiving implants at younger than 5 years and at 5 years or older. OUTCOME MEASURES: Age-equivalent vocabulary test score and gap index (chronological age minus the age-equivalent score, divided by the chronological age at the time of testing) were calculated. For each test, the following were performed: calculation of rate of change for age-equivalent score; comparison of earliest and latest gap indices means (the cohort and intergroup and intragroup comparison); and multiple regression analysis demonstrating the effect of age at implantation, sex, communication mode, etiology of deafness, and residual hearing on the rate of vocabulary development. RESULTS: Expressive and receptive vocabulary development rates were 0.93 and 0.71 (age-equivalent scores per year), respectively. Subgrouped by age at implantation, the children's rates (for both vocabularies) were not statistically different (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, P =.90; Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, P =.23). The global latest gap indices were significantly less than the earliest (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, P =.048; Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, P<.001), indicating an improvement in age-appropriate vocabulary development over time. The age subgroups demonstrated similar results, except for the younger group's receptive gap index. On multiple regression analysis, the significant predictive variables were residual hearing (Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised) and male sex and oral communication mode (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised). CONCLUSIONS: Children with cochlear implants developed their vocabularies at rates that were sufficient to prevent an increase in their gap indices as related to ideal scores at testing. A late age at implantation does not singularly preclude beneficial development of vocabulary.

The effects of age of cochlear implantation on speech perception outcomes in prelingually deaf children.

We have made a retrospective analysis on 70 prelingually deaf children (78% congenital; age range 2-15 years) followed for up to 5 years post-implant during which both closed set speech perception tests (TAC, WIPI) and open set tasks (PBK, GASP) were administered. We used a binary partitioning algorithm to optimally divide our dataset on the basis of age at implantation This technique achieves an optimal split when the heterogeneity of the data is most reduced (maximal drop in deviance). For the closed set speech perception tests (TAC and WIPI) partitioning best divided-out data at age 4.4 years. For the open set tests optimal division was at a higher age of implantation (GASP word, 5.6 years; PBK word, 8.4 years). Using these partitioning values, we have found statistically significant differences between rate of improvement of scores in the younger implanted children compared with those implanted later.

Vocabulary acquisition rate after pediatric cochlear implantation and the impact of age at implantation.

OBJECTIVE: studies of early vocabulary development after pediatric cochlear implantation show growth rates that approach normality. Do these growth rates continue to rise over time and, therefore, allow a 'catch up' with ideal scores for age, or do they decline after an initial peak. Could age at implantation be a decisive factor in that process? DESIGN: retrospective study (mean follow-up 4 years). PATIENTS: pre-lingually deaf children implanted between 1988 and1999, who serially performed Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT), (37 patients) and Expressive One-word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (EOWPVT), (35 patients). OUTCOME MEASURES: the mean rates of age equivalent scores were determined for the whole follow-up period and analyzed further for two post-implant periods (the two halves of follow-up duration of individual patients). After sub-grouping by age at implantation (younger or older than 5 years old), the same analysis was executed for each subgroup. RESULTS: the mean EOWPVT rate of the earlier period was higher than that of the later period (1.33 vs. 0.67, P<0.01) and the mean PPVT rate of the earlier period was higher than that of the later period (0.72 vs. 0.5). The latter difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Within subgroups by age at implantation, the PPVT mean rates were stable for younger implanted patients (0.56 for both periods) and dropped for the older implanted sub-group (0.87-0.43, P>0.05). The EOWPVT mean rates declined significantly for the older patients group (1.72-0.55, P<0.01) but insignificantly for the younger patients (0.99-0.77, P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: vocabulary acquisition rates decline in the post-implantation period. This is more pronounced with older implanted children and the EOWPVT rates. This information on the time course development of vocabulary after implantation would be valuable in counseling and planning habilitation in addition to candidate selection.

Local haemodynamic changes associated with neural activity in auditory cortex.

We used an optical technique to study haemodynamic changes associated with acoustically driven activity in auditory cortex of the chinchilla. Such changes are first detectable c. 0.5 s after stimulation, peak at 2-3 s, and decay within a further 3-6 s. This intrinsic signal imaging reveals activity in separate cortical areas, including primary auditory cortex (AI), secondary auditory cortex (AII) and an anterior auditory field (AAF). We have measured the timing of haemodynamics associated with each area, and find that AI has a different time course from AII and AAF; its haemodynamic change recovers more rapidly. We also show that within AI and AII, place specific activity related to acoustic stimulus frequency can be resolved by this optical imaging method. Our results show the close association between blood flow change and the local metabolic demands of neural activity. The data provide information about the potential of other functional imaging methods (e.g. PET, fMRI) which rely on activity related haemodynamic events.

Removal of a foreign body from the bronchial tree--a new method.

Tracheo-bronchial foreign bodies can be very difficult to remove. This may be related to the location and type of foreign body, the experience of the bronchoscopist and the availability of appropriate instruments. We report a case of an uncommon foreign body in an unusual location in an adolescent in whom conventional attempts to remove it failed. The foreign body was eventually recovered using a flexible bronchoscope and an intravascular wire loop snare under fluoroscopic control. The patient was saved from thoracotomy and possible lobectomy. To our knowledge, this combined fluoroscopic and endoscopic approach for the removal of a difficult tracheobronchial foreign body is the first reported case in the literature.