Validity of acoustic rhinometry in the evaluation of patients with adenoid hypertrophy.

Reliability of acoustic rhinometry (AR) for preoperative diagnosis and decision of surgery in children with adenoid hypertrophy were investigated in this study. Fifty-five children who cannot tolerate nasal endoscopic examination were included. The AR was performed preoperatively and postoperatively 1 month later. The volume of distance between the 6th and 10th centimeters in rhinogram curve was calculated for evaluating the adenoid notch (AN) region. The volume of AN region was compared with each patient's volume of the adenoid tissue removed with adenoidectomy. Whereas the median adenoid specimen volume was 2.0 (1.0-2.0) cm3 in 23 patients with complaint of nasal obstruction, median AN volumes in the rhinogram curve was 2.3 (0.8-5.2) cm3. All children whose preoperative nasopharyngeal volume was 4.2 cm3 or less had increased volume in the area representing the nasopharynx on rhinogram. We found a statistically significant relationship between the AN and the adenoid specimen volume (P = 0.000, r = 0.797). The sensitivity and specificity were found as 61.2% and 95.8%, respectively. We concluded that the children whose preoperative nasopharyngeal volumes were measured as 4.2 cm3 or less by AR could benefit more from adenoidectomy.

Repair of subtotal tympanic membrane perforations with Seprafilm.

OBJECTIVES: We studied the experimental use of Seprafilm, a sheet-like film form of hyaluronic acid, in the repair of subtotal perforations of the tympanic membrane (TM), and the durability of such repairs. METHOD: The research was conducted on 42 Sprague-Dawley rats. Right TMs of all rats were subtotally and thermally perforated in the same fashion. Seprafilm was applied to the perforated TMs of the 21 rats comprising the experiment group. The perforated TMs of the remaining 21 rats, the control group, were left to heal spontaneously. RESULTS: The mean healing times were recorded as 7.8 +/- 0.6 days for the Seprafilm group and 14.9 +/- 1.1 days for the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Seprafilm may be a possible first choice (before the decision to operate) in subtotal perforations, considering its easy application and patient follow-up.

Comparison of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of parotid tumors.

OBJECTIVE: The role of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of parotid tumors was investigated. METHODS: Forty patients with the clinical suspicion of a parotid mass underwent both CT and MRI of the parotid region. Two radiologists independently assessed the CT and MRI results with respect to tumor localization, tumor margin characteristics, and infiltration of surrounding tissue. Histopathologic specimens were obtained in all cases and correlated with the radiologic findings. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of CT and MRI were nearly the same for tumor location, tumor margin, and tumor infiltration. CONCLUSION: The 2 imaging techniques provided the same information with respect to the presurgical planning and contribute to the diagnosis and therapy planning of parotid tumors.

Proboscis lateralis: radiological evaluation.

Proboscis lateralis is a rare craniofacial anomaly. It consists of a soft, trunk-like process that originates from the medial portion of the orbital roof and it may be accompanied by a number of facial and cerebral anomalies. The characteristics and relationship of the lesion to adjacent structures should be known, and associated anomalies should be detected before surgical correction. The patient should undergo neuroimaging studies besides clinical evaluation to obtain this information in detail. The neuroimaging findings of only one previous case are available in the literature. We report two cases of proboscis lateralis evaluated by CT and MRI before corrective surgery.