ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is a common disorder causing ear pressure, pain, and hearing loss. Balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) is an emerging technique for dilating the Eustachian tube and treating ETD. Whether adding myringotomy improves BET efficacy is controversial. METHODS: This retrospective study included 95 ETD patients undergoing BET alone (n = 44) or BET with myringotomy (BET + M; n = 51) between June 2020 and August 2021 at a single medical center. The primary outcome was the change in ETDQ-7 symptom scores from baseline to 6 months after treatment. Secondary outcomes included audiometry, endoscopy, Valsalva maneuver, and complications. RESULTS: The ETDQ-7 scores improved significantly after treatment in both groups (p < 0.001), without significant between-group differences (p = 0.417). No significant differences occurred in the audiometry, endoscopy, and Valsalva results or in most complications between groups. One BET + M patient had a persistent tympanic membrane perforation. CONCLUSIONS: Both BET alone and BET + M effectively and safely improved the subjective and objective ETD outcomes. However, adding myringotomy did not further improve the outcomes over BET alone, while it incurred risks such as persistent perforation. BET alone may sufficiently treat ETD without requiring myringotomy in this cohort. Further randomized controlled trials should identify optimal candidates for BET alone versus combined approaches.
ABSTRACT
A 16-year-old male was brought to our hospital presenting with acute onset of a painful protruding left neck mass within a day, associated with left upper-arm tenderness. Chest computed tomography revealed high attenuation masses at the left supraclavicular and mediastinal regions, suspected of being venous vascular tumors. Surgery was arranged and then ruptured venous tumor was noted, with pathology results determining a venous malformation.
Subject(s)
Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation , Brachiocephalic Veins/surgery , Head and Neck Neoplasms/surgery , Hemangioma/surgery , Jugular Veins/surgery , Neck Pain/etiology , Adolescent , Brachiocephalic Veins/diagnostic imaging , Brachiocephalic Veins/pathology , Head and Neck Neoplasms/complications , Head and Neck Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology , Hemangioma/complications , Hemangioma/diagnostic imaging , Hemangioma/pathology , Humans , Jugular Veins/diagnostic imaging , Jugular Veins/pathology , Ligation , Male , Neck Pain/diagnosis , Rupture, Spontaneous , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Nail gun injuries usually occur at the extremities due to working accidents. Intracranial or intrathoracic injuries are relatively rare, and cases combined with both injuries are even rarer. Such situations pose challenges for surgeons due to their uniqueness during operation. Radiologic imaging findings in our case were significant in indicating surgical findings. Herein, we report a patient who shot himself using a nail gun, damaging his brain and heart.
