Endoscopic Tympanoplasty as an Alternative to Microscopic Tympanoplasty: A Comparative Study on Surgical Outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Background: Chronic otitis media treatment has evolved, with microscopic surgeries as the gold standard and endoscopic surgeries as a newer addition. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study includes 209 patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty, utilizing both endoscopic and microscopic techniques, between January 2019 and December 2022 at a tertiary care institute in India. The study aims to compare hearing outcomes, graft uptake, hospital stay, postoperative pain, and cosmesis between the two groups. Results: Mean AB gap closure was 17.09 + 5.98 dB in the endoscopic group and 16.74 + 5.05 dB in the microscopic group (P = 0.687). The duration of surgery was 79.26 ± 17.37 min in the Endoscopic group and 91.92 ± 15.35 min in the Microscopic group. (P = < 0.00001). The Endoscopic group experienced less post-operative pain, shorter hospital stay (P = < 0.00001, P = 0.0008), and exhibited better cosmetic outcomes (P = 0.00001) compared to the microscopic group. Conclusion: Endoscopic tympanoplasty is a better alternative to microscopic tympanoplasty, delivering comparable hearing outcomes, shorter surgical duration, improved pain scores, and better cosmesis. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-04184-4.

A 37-Year-Old Man With Dyspnea, Bilateral Lung Consolidation, and a Tracheal Mass.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year-old man presented to the ED with symptoms of productive cough, self-reported fever, and shortness of breath for the past 15 days. He was placed on noninvasive mechanical ventilation for respiratory distress. IV piperacillin-tazobactam and inhaled bronchodilators were promptly administered, and he was subsequently transferred to the respiratory ICU for further care. He had no history of bowel and bladder disturbance, altered sensorium, swelling of feet, or abdominal distention. He never used tobacco and denied a history of TB. Medical history was notable for recurrent hospitalizations and administration of multiple courses of antibiotics in the past for similar complaints. He often used inhaled bronchodilators/corticosteroids when clinically stable to relieve symptoms.

Endoscopic Repair of CSF Rhinorrhea: Our Experience at a Tertiary Centre.

Spontaneous or post-traumatic CSF (cerebrospinal-fluid) rhinorrhea occurs when there is a skull-base defect. In our study, we tried endoscopic approach, exclusively as surgical modality. To study feasibility of trans-nasal endoscopic approach for repair of skull-base defects and success rates at each anatomical subsite, with complications. Patients, who underwent endoscopic repair of CSF rhinorrhea between 2016 and 2019 were recruited into study. Details of investigative work-up, aetiology, surgery done, site of leak, number of surgical procedures done, post-operative complications and their management, success rate for each anatomical sub-site, was retrieved retrospectively and analyzed. All patients were initially managed with conservative measures before taking up for surgery. Eighteen-patients (male-11, female-7, mean age-40.3 years) with CSF rhinorrhea {spontaneous-5(27.7%), traumatic-13(62.3%)} were found. Sites of leak were cribriform-plate (CP), fovea-ethmoidalis (FE) and posterior-table of frontal-sinus (FS) in 8(44.4%), 5(27.7%) and 5(27.7%) respectively. Twelve (66.6%) patients had no postoperative complications. No patients with defects in CP had post-operative complication. Two (11.1%) patients with FS defect had meningitis, one (5.5%) patient with FS defect developed pneumocephalus. One (5.5%) patient developed frontal sinusitis at end of 4-months. Two (11.1%) patients, each with defects in FE and FS needed a revision repair on postoperative day 0 and 90-till date, none of the patients have any delayed procedure related complications or recurrences. Endoscopic repair of CSF leaks is the norm of the current day due to its minimally invasive nature. However, endoscopic repair of leaks through the frontal sinus were challenging and was associated with a high rate of complications.

To evaluate the efficacy of topical anti-fungal therapy in postoperative cases of COVID Associated Mucormycosis (CAM): A single-blinded randomized control trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of 0.1 % w/w Liposomal Amphotericin-B gel with 10 % w/w Povidone-Iodine and saline nasal douching in preventing revision surgery in patients with CAM. STUDY DESIGN: Multi-arm, parallel randomized control trial. STUDY SETTING: The trial was conducted in the Department of ENT, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar. METHODS: Participants: Microbiologically and histologically proven cases of mucormycosis who underwent surgical debridement were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Postoperatively, patients were randomized into three groups based on the type of topical intervention received, in the form of Lipid-based Amphotericin B gel, povidone­iodine ointment or saline nasal douching. OUTCOME: Requirement of revision surgery in postoperative cases of CAM. RANDOMIZATION: Participants were allotted to one of the three arms by block randomization. BLINDING: Single-blinded trial. RESULTS: Numbers randomized: 15 participants were randomized to each group. Recruitment: Completed recruiting. Numbers analyzed: 15 participants were analyzed in each group. OUTCOMES: Control arm's risk of revision surgery was 4.50 (95 % CI: 1.16-17.44) times than Lipid-based Amphotericin B gel arm and 1.50 (95 % CI: 0.71-3.16) times that of the Povidone- Iodine arm. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.02) for Amphotericin but not for Povidone-Iodine. CONCLUSIONS: Topical Amphotericin-B gel application in the postoperative cavity can decrease the need for revision surgery and help in early recovery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2021/10/037257. Clinical Trials Registry of India.

Efficacy of Two-phase Treatment Regimen for Rhino-facial Entomophthoromycosis: Our Experience and Review of Literature.

This paper reviews our institutional experience in the management of rhino-facial entomophthoromycosis, a rare subcutaneous fungal infection. We adopt a fixed two-phase protocol comprising an initial 'intensive phase' (two-drug regimen) followed by an 'eradication phase' (monotherapy). We present five patients treated between May 2013 and May 2020 in our institution who were subjected to the mentioned protocol. All five patients received six months of supersaturated potassium iodide solution and itraconazole, followed by four months of monotherapy with only supersaturated potassium iodide solution. All patients responded well to the treatment and were disease-free on follow-up of a minimum two years post-treatment. We recommend this procedure for all typical cases of entomophthoromycosis and suggest avoiding surgical intervention which may disseminate the fungus and delay response to treatment.

Altered Nasal Microbiome in Atrophic Rhinitis: A Novel Theory of Etiopathogenesis and Therapy.

Background: Atrophic rhinitis (AtR) is a chronic nasal condition with polygenic and polybacterial etiology. We investigated the clinical outcomes of honey therapy and the associated nasal microbiome in AtR. Methods: For eight weeks, a nonrandomized control trial using a nasal spray of 10% manuka honey and saline on the right and left sides of the nose was conducted on 19 primary AtR patients. A nasal endoscopy was performed and a mucosal biopsy were taken before and after the intervention. Five of the nineteen patients were selected for microbiome and GPR43 expression studies. Results: We used manuka honey to describe an effective prebiotic treatment for atrophic rhinitis. There were nine males and ten females with an average (±SD) age of 33.8 (±10.7) years. Endoscopic scores and clinical symptoms improved in honey-treated nasal cavities (p < 0.003). There was a significant decrease in inflammation, restoration of mucus glands, and increased expression of GPR43 in the nasal cavities with honey therapy. The nasal microbiome composition before and after treatment was documented. Particularly, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers were positively enriched after honey therapy and correlated with improved clinical outcomes like nasal crusting, congestion, and discharge. Conclusion: Our approach to treating AtR patients with manuka honey illustrated effective clinical outcomes such as (1) decreased fetid smell, (2) thickening of the mucosa, (3) decreased inflammation with healed mucosal ulcers, (4) increased concentration of the mucosal glands, (5) altered nasal microbiome, and (6) increased expression of SCFA receptors. These changes are consequent to resetting the nasal microbiome due to honey therapy.

Primary Endoscopic Stapes Surgery: A Comparison of Adipose Tissue and Gelfoam Seal.

To compare the efficacy between the commonly used sealing materials, i.e., adipose tissue and the gelfoam in primary endoscopic stapedotomy. Lobular fat and gelfoam have been used in patients who underwent endoscopic stapedotomy between two groups, each containing 29 patients. The hearing outcomes and postoperative complications were compared at the end of 12 weeks between two groups. The ABG of ≤ 10 dB was achieved in 69% of cases in group A and 76% of cases in group B. There was a significant short-term (1 week) improvement in the Dizziness Handicap Inventory score (p = 00) with patients of adipose tissue seal compared to the gelfoam. Although the audiological outcomes were comparable between the two groups, the use of the adipose tissue can be a better alternative than gelfoam to control vertigo in the early postoperative period without causing any significant morbidity to the patient.

Predisposing factors of rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis in patients with COVID 19 infection.

The predisposing factors of invasive fungal disease in COVID 19 infection are still debatable because of the limited human understanding of the virus with the current literature. In this study, we have tried to correlate the various predisposing factors influencing the clinical profile and treatment outcomes in patients with covid associated mucormycosis (CAM). It is a retrospective analysis of cases of CAM during the second wave of COVID 19 infection, which was managed in the department of Otorhinolaryngology from Dec 1, 2020, to June 10, 2021. The detailed clinical, radiological and management of patients with CAM were collected, recorded, evaluated and correlated with the predisposing factors. Of the total, 46 patients, 44(95.65%) were diabetic and 41 patients had a previous history of steroid intake. When clinical parameters were compared between blood sugar < 200 mg/dl and > 200 mg/dl, the old and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus in patients with CAM, there was no significant differences in any of the above clinical parameters (p > 0.05), except the hospital stay (p = 0,004). Steroid intake in patients with coexisting DM associated with CAM is considered the most important factor for the development of the CAM. There was are no significant difference in any of the clinical/treatment outcomes in patients with CAM with respect to the initial blood sugar, except for the hospital stay. A large sample size with a long-term follow-up period may be needed for a better understanding of common predisposing factors for the development of CAM.

Outcome of Temporalis Fascia Myringoplasty With and Without use of Platelet Rich Plasma: A Randomized Control Trial.

To compare efficacy of temporalis fascia myringoplasty using platelet-rich plasma(PRP) {MP-PRP} and conventional emporalis fascia myringoplasty (MP-C) in treatment of moderate to large central tympanic-membrane(TM) perforation. Randomized-Control-Trial. We randomly assigned eighty-patients with COMmucosal-type with medium to large central TM-perforation and conductive hearing loss planned for primary myringoplasty to receive either MP-PRP orMP-C. Myringoplasty was performed through postauricular approach underlay graft using temporalis fascia. Primary-outcome was graft uptake (an intact TM) at 6 months postoperatively. Secondary-outcome was the postoperative hearing improvement measured by pure-tone-audiometry (PTA). Eighty-myringoplasties (MP-PRP group-40, MP-C group-40) done for 80 patients (male = 41; female = 39, age-group = 18-45-years) were included in analysis. At 6 months postoperatively graft uptake rate was 94.4% in MP-PRP and 92.1%% in MP-C group. There was no statistically significant difference in graft-uptake between the two groups (p = 0.358). Success in terms of hearing gain (≥ 10 dB) was achieved in 34 patients (89.5%) in MP-C and 37 patients (94.9%) in MP-PRP group. At 6 months follow-up; mean-PTA-average improved from 35.10 ± 5.401 dB to 27.74 ± 5.660 dB and mean ABG improved from 24.00 ± 5.204 dB to17.42 ± 5.559 dB in MP-C group. At 6 months followup; mean-PTA-average improved from 37.00 ± 6.144 dB to 26.65 dB and mean air bone gap (ABG) improved from 25.98 ± 5.736 dB to 16.21 ± 4.318 dB in MP-PRP group. No statistically significant differences in improvement in PTA-values were observed between both groups (p = 0.336).Postoperative complications were similar in both groups. Graft-uptake, hearing outcomes and complications of MP-PRP were similar to MP-C. MP-PRP offers no advantages over MP-C for treatment of TM perforation.

Acute Respiratory Distress in Children: Croup and Acute Asthma.

Acute respiratory distress is one of the most common reason for emergency visits in children under 5 y of age. An accurate understanding of the epidemiology of these diseases, identification of risk factors and etiology is critical for successful treatment and prevention of related mortality. The cause of acute respiratory distress varies in etiology, and hence is amenable to different treatment modalities. Depending on the predominant symptoms and signs, a child presenting to the clinician can be divided into six groups, viz., stridor; cough, fever and difficulty in breathing or fast breathing; wheezing; mediastinal shift with severe respiratory distress; slow or irregular breathing in absence of any pulmonary sign; and respiratory distress with cardiac findings. A detailed history followed by a thorough clinical examination and laboratory evaluation assisted by imaging modalities if indicated, helps to establish the exact cause of respiratory distress in the child. Early recognition and prompt institution of appropriate management or referral can significantly improve the outcome of this illness. This article offers clinicians a brief update on the general management guidelines of respiratory distress in pediatric patients. Specific treatment depends on the exact cause, however croup and acute severe asthma have been discussed in this article.