Is Pterygopalatine Fossa Injection with Adrenaline an Effective Technique for Better Surgical Field in Fess?

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is one of most common surgeries in otorhinolaryngology practice. It is done in the narrow confines of the nasal cavity. Bleeding into the surgical field is a major problem faced by endoscopic surgeons. To assess the effectiveness of pterygopalatine fossa infiltration with lignocaine and adrenaline in controlling surgical field bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery. A randomized blinded study was done among 68 patients who underwent FESS. Infiltration with 2% lignocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline was given only on one side and the surgeon was blinded as to which side was infiltrated and he was asked to assess the surgical field using a standard scale. There was statistical significant improvement in surgical field on the infiltrated side (p = 0.001) with almost 25-30% improvement in surgical field on the infiltrated side. The surgical field bleeding also varied with the blood pressure with a positive correlation. There were no complications associated with the procedure. Pterygopalatine fossa infiltration with lignocaine and adrenaline is an effective technique in reducing surgical field bleeding during FESS. It can be combined with nasal decongestion or hypotensive anaesthesia for an optimum surgical field.

Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Thyroid - A Rare Malignant Goitre.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of thyroid is a very rare malignant disease because thyroid gland lacks squamous cells. The disease is almost fatal. Only around 60 cases have been reported in literature. Its incidence is less than 1 % of all thyroid malignancies. The overall survival rate is less than 1 year after the diagnosis. Here we report a rare case of a 70 year old lady who presented with sudden increase in the size of swelling associated with pain and obstructive symptoms in long standing thyroid swelling. Considering patient's age and inoperable nature of disease we treated the patient with concurrent chemoradiation.

Effect of mastoid drilling on the distortion product otoacoustic emissions in the non operated ear.

OBJECTIVE: To monitor the effect of mastoid drilling on the non-operated ear distortion product otoacoustic emissions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were measured at frequencies of f 2=2, 3, 4 and 5 kHz, and a frequency ratio f 1 /f 2=1.22. DPOAEs were measured in 49 cases, pre and post-operatively who underwent mastoid drilling procedures, compared with each other and with 49 controls who underwent myringoplasty and myringotomy procedures. RESULTS: Amplitudes of DPOAEs decreased significantly in those who underwent mastoidectomies over all the measured frequencies in the immediate post-operative period but had recovered by the seventh post operative day. CONCLUSION: Drill induced noise can cause temporary decrease in the DPOAEs postoperatively and hence temporary hearing loss for a period of one week.

Rhinosporidiosis: A Chronic Tropical Disease in Lateral Pharyngeal Wall.

Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi. It predominantly affects the mucous membranes of the nose and the nasopharynx. Clinically the lesion presents as a pink or red pedunculated polyp in one or both nostrils. Diagnosis can be made by aspiration cytology and examination with May-Grunwald-Giemsa, hematoxylin and eosin, Periodic acid-Schiff and mucicarmine staining. Definitive diagnosis is by histopathology of the specimen. We report a case of Rhinosporidiosis at the lateral pharyngeal wall which is a very rare site for Rhinosporidiosis to occur; was treated by diathermy excision of the mass and cauterization of the base and oral Dapsone to prevent recurrence of the disease.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma- A rare Differential Diagnosis for a mass in the External Auditory Canal.

Primary external auditory canal malignancies are very rare; in which, adenoid cystic carcinoma is extremely rare tumour accounting for approximately 5%. Majority of the patients presents with unilateral severe or dull aching constant ear pain of prolonged duration, reduced hearing and mass in the External Ear. These tumours are treated with aggressive surgical excision and adjuvant radiotherapy. Despite this, the overall prognosis is poor due to recurrences and distant metastasis. We report a rare case of adenoid cystic carcinoma in a 36-year-old female, who presented with right ear pain for the last one year. She was treated with wide local excision of the mass followed by adjuvant radiotherapy.

A giant vagal schwannoma with unusual extension from skull base to the mediastinum.

Cervical vagal schwannoma is an extremely rare neoplasm. Middle aged people are usually affected. These tumors usually present as asymptomatic masses. These tumors are almost always benign. Preoperative diagnosis of these lesions is important due to the morbidity associated with its excision. Preoperative tissue diagnosis is not accurate. The imaging modality can be done to assess the extent and for planning the treatment. Surgical excision with preservation of neural origin is the treatment option. Giant vagal schwannomas are extremely rare. Only one case has been reported in the literature till date. There has no reported case of extensive vagal schwannoma from skull base to the mediastinum. Here, we describe the asymptomatic presentation of an unusual appearing giant cervical vagal schwannoma with an extension from skull base to the mediastinum.

Soft tissue myxoma- a rare differential diagnosis of localized oral cavity lesions.

Myxomas have a common histologic appearance of myxoid ground substance and are classified in group of soft tissue tumors. According to literature myxomas occurring in every decade of life have been reported. Very often intraoral soft tissue myxoma can be misinterpreted as malignant and are difficult to differentiate from the other tumours with myxoid stroma. Of the different variants of soft tissue myxoma, intraoral is extremely rare, slow growing, benign mesenchymal tumour. We report a case of a 22-year-old male who presented with swelling in the right cheek and mass in the right buccal mucosa that appeared gradually over two year. No history of pain over the lesion or bleeding on touch. On intraoral examination a lesion measuring 3 X 3 cm was seen in the right buccal mucosa. Biopsy of the lesion revealed oral soft tissue myxoma. Wide excision with clinically clear margins was done under general anaesthesia. Histopathological report revealed the diagnosis as to be oral soft tissue myxoma. A case of oral soft tissue myxoma is presented for its rarity and for differential diagnosis of localized oral cavity lesions.