ABSTRACT
The orbital cellulitis is an infection of the soft tissues located behind of the orbital setum. It is presented as a complication of an acute sinusitis although it can appear as consequence of other infectious processes. We present a series of 20 cases diagnosed and treated in our center of orbital cellulitis. We expose the diagnostic criteria that we have followed, as well as the complementary tests used and the different treatments both medical and surgical.
Subject(s)
Cellulitis/diagnostic imaging , Orbit/diagnostic imaging , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Cellulitis/microbiology , Cellulitis/surgery , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Orbit/microbiology , Orbit/surgery , Staphylococcal Infections/complications , Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapy , Streptococcal Infections/complications , Streptococcal Infections/drug therapy , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Malignant otitis externa (MOE) is an uncommon infective but potentially fatal entity caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It involves almost exclusively advanced aged diabetic patients. We report here four cases diagnosed at our hospital during the last 7 years. Clinical manifestations included otalgia, purulent otorrhoea, involvement of different cranial nerves and bony destruction; one patient died because of bronchoaspiration and two are alive but with sequelae. MOE should be suspected in every diabetic patient with otitis which goes unresolved with the usual antibiotic therapy. On the other hand, facial palsy should not always be attributed to a diabetic mononeuropathy and the presence of MOE should be ruled out when otitis coexists or precedes it.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Complications , Otitis Externa/etiology , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Otitis Externa/diagnosisABSTRACT
A morphological study was made of the pharynx of 106 subjects, including obese and non-obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), obese and non-obese healthy snorers and controls. A CT scan was made of each subject and the luminal area was measured on all sections. The influence of obesity on airway size was determined. Airway lumina generally were narrower in patients with OSAS, of intermediate size in healthy snorers, and widest in controls. Luminal narrowing was the result of increased pharyngeal wall thickness and directly related to the degree of obesity. This pattern was evident throughout the pharynx, except for the hypopharynx, where the airway size was similar in all the patients studied.
