[Peritonsillar abscesses (quincy)]. / Phlegmons péritonsillaires.

OBJECTIVES: To study the circumstances of diagnosis, the supporting factors, the bacteriology, and the therapeutic management of peritonsillar abscesses (quinsy). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study over a period of 10 years in 98 patients hospitalized in an ENT and Head and Neck Surgery department for peritonsillar abscess. RESULTS: Ninety percent of cases of peritonsillar abscesses complicated angina. Forty-nine percent of patients had no previous antibiotic therapy, 9% had a previous history of peritonsillar abscess, 62% were treated in the emergency department, and fever was present in 64% of cases. The diagnosis was clinical in 98% of cases. The average hospitalization stay lasted 2 days. Sixty-five percent of patients had one needle aspiration of the abscess, 35% had surgical drainage with local anaesthesia. The needle aspiration was negative in 14% of cases. In 29% of cases one bacterium was identified. The patients were completely cured in 10 days. Forty-five percent of patients underwent tonsillectomy at a later date. CONCLUSION: The progression of peritonsillar abscess is favorable in 2-3 days since a local therapeutic act (needle aspiration or drainage) is done associated with an antibiotic and corticoid treatment that is initially intravenous. An emergency tonsillectomy can be proposed in cases of recurrent tonsillitis or peritonsillar abscess.

A histological investigation on early tissue response to titanium implants in a rat intramedullary model.

Miniature grade 1 titanium screws were inserted in the tibias of 12 mature Wistar rats. Animals were sacrificed at 4, 7, and 21 days postimplantation. A combination of two morphological approaches was used to examine the tissue response to implants. One part of the prepared tissue specimens was routinely embedded in paraffin after a weak decalcification in EDTA. In this case, the implant was mechanically removed before embedding. The remainder of the specimens were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate resin, and ground sections were realized according to Donath's method. New bone formation occurred soon after implantation. Initially, on the fourth day, the presence of osteoid could be observed near the implant surface. On the seventh day, well-mineralized bone tissue was apposed directly on the implant surface. On the 21st day, the bone tissue became a highly organized lamellar bone.

[Hearing status of Robin sequence patients]. / Audition et séquence de Robin.

OBJECTIVE: To determine wether Robin sequence is a risk factor for conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss. PATIENTS: 13 children with type III Robin sequence, admitted in our institution between 1984 and 1997 for tracheotomy were enrolled in this retrospective study. METHODS: Each child had several audiological evaluations including subjective and objective methods adapted to their age. Subjective methods were audiometric tests, objective methods were Click Evoqued Otoacoustic Emissions and Auditory Brainstem Response. RESULTS: 3 children had normal hearing, 10 children had a conductive hearing loss caused by middle ear effusion, 4 patients had also a congenital permanent sensorineural evolutive hearing loss. Among the 4 infants with a sensorineural hearing loss, 2 had a polymalformative syndrome, and 2 had an isolated Robin sequence. CONCLUSION: Robin sequence is a risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss. This hearing loss should be assessed as soon as possible after birth by otoscopy, click-evoqued otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response and audiometric tests.

[Ostial stenosis of the common trunk of the left coronary artery 20 years after mediastinal irradiation]. / Sténose ostiale du tronc commun de la coronaire gauche 20 ans après une irradiation médiastinale.

A 43-year-old woman with no risk factors received mediastinal radiotherapy of 35 Grays at the age of 23 years for Hodgkin's disease, followed by cure of the neoplastic disease. Twenty years later, following a threatened infarction syndrome, coronary angiography revealed ostial stenosis of the left coronary trunk. The course was rapidly unfavourable immediately following the examination.

[Value of the exercise test after aortocoronary bypass]. / Valeur de l'épreuve d'effort aprés pontage aorto-coronaire. A propos de 100 cas.

The 100 patients who underwent an exercise test and a follow-up coronary arteriogram at a mean interval of 10.1 months after an aorto-coronary bypass had suffered preoperatively from incapacitating angina 50%), a threatened infarction syndrome (35%), or Prinzmetal's angina (15%). The majority had a single bypass graft (72%), but 28% had two or three grafts. The exercise test was positive 39 times, negative 51 times, and indeterminate in 10. Correlation with the clinical picture shows that 27% of the patients in functional category I had a positive exercise test. Correlation with coronary arteriography shows that a positive test is reliable evidence for a defect or occlusion of the graft. On the other hand, a negative exercise test is a less reliable indicator of a good result. No instances of positive exercise tests were found when there was complete alleviation of the coronary condition.