Intermittent pressure therapy of intractable Meniere's disease and delayed endolymphatic hydrops using the transtympanic membrane massage device: a preliminary report.

CONCLUSION: Middle ear pressure treatment by the tympanic membrane massage (TMM) device as well as the Meniett device is effective and provides minimally invasive options for intractable vertigo in patients with Meniere's disease (MD) and delayed endolymphatic hydrops (DEH). OBJECTIVE: The effects of the TMM device were evaluated according to the criteria of the Japan Society for Equilibrium Research (1995) in patients with MD and DEH and compared to those in patients treated with the Meniett device. METHODS: Twelve ears of 10 patients (MD 8; DEH 2) were treated with the TMM device, while 16 ears of 15 patients (MD 11; DEH 4) were treated with the Meniett device. All the patients had failed to respond to medical treatment including diuretics before each pressure treatment, and were followed up for more than 12 months after treatment. Tympanotomy is necessary before treatment for the Meniett device, not but for the TMM device. RESULTS: With both devices, the frequency of vertigo after treatment was significantly lower than before treatment (p < 0.05). The time course of vestibular symptoms with the TMM device was not significantly different from that with the Meniett device (p > 0.05). No complications were directly attributable to treatment with the TMM device.

[Effect of S-1 in a patient with metastatic eyelid sebaceous carcinoma].

We report a 68-year-old female with a history of repeated right cervical lymph node metastasis secondary to eyelid sebaceous carcinoma. She had undergone right neck dissection due to lymph node metastasis at the department of surgery in an other local hospital. After the orbital exenteration, she underwent multiple operations, including 2 right partial parotidectomy and then total parotidectomy, 4 right cervical lymph node excisions and 1 left upper neck dissection due to lymph node metastasis. Adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1(at a dose of 80 mg per day)alone was applied as tumor dormancy therapy on an outpatient basis. Any adverse events during S-1 medication were observed. New metastatic lesions were not found until 29 months after the beginning of chemotherapy with S-1 alone. Although the effectiveness of S-1 for eyelid sebaceous carcinoma has not been demonstrated, S-1 might be useful in patients with recurrent eyelid sebaceous carcinoma based on our patient's recurrence-free survival.

[A case of laryngeal sarcoidosis difficult to diagnose].

Sarcoidosis is a multiorgan granulomatous disease of unknown cause, named after the characteristic histopathological findings of the disease. In this article, we shall report a case in which biopsy needed to be repeated three times until a final diagnosis of laryngeal sarcoidosis could be made. Since sarcoidosis associated with only a laryngeal pathology may not be associated with any laboratory abnormalities in many cases, first priority should be attached in suspected cases to detect the presence of noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. In this case, the results of the first and second laryngeal biopsies did not show non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas, while the third biopsy showed noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas with giant cells. Finally, the diagnosis of laryngeal sarcoidosis was made after the results of whole-body imaging became available. Laryngeal sarcoidosis must be borne in mind as a suspected diagnosis in cases where the larynx shows yellowish-white diffuse swelling.

Positron emission tomography for predicting malignancy of sinonasal inverted papilloma.

BACKGROUND: Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is an uncommon nasal tumor. It is known for being locally invasive and recurrent, with a high probability of malignant transformation. Accurate initial staging and close surveillance are critical in the management of the disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) was performed in 5 patients with IP. High FDG uptake (maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) value >3.0) was observed in all patients, and 2 patients with IP associated with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) exhibited higher SUVmax values. CONCLUSION: The SUVmax value of a sinonasal tumor can warn the surgeon of the probability of an associated malignancy, even when preoperative biopsy demonstrates a purely benign papilloma.

Epidemiologic characteristics of definite Ménière's disease in Japan. A long-term survey of Toyama and Niigata prefectures.

To identify epidemiologic characteristics of definite cases of Ménière's disease (DMD), we conducted retrospective surveys of the period 1990-2004 of the Nishikubiki district and of the period 1980-2004 of Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University. Three hundred and seventy-five patients (50 from Nishikubiki, 325 from Toyama) were diagnosed with DMD according to the diagnostic criteria proposed by the Japanese Society for Equilibrium Research. There was a slight increase in the prevalence of DMD during the period 1990-2004. However, incidence did not change significantly over time. The average annual prevalence and incidence were 34.5 and 5.0, respectively, per 100,000 population. Incidence and prevalence predominated in females. With respect to age at disease, the incidence in elderly patients was increased when we corrected for age distribution in the overall population.

Prediction of vestibulo-autonomic symptoms during the caloric test: evaluation of autonomic activity by spectral analysis of the electrocardiographic R-R interval.

CONCLUSION: If the high-frequency (HF) component of the R-R interval spectrum of the electrocardiogram (ECG) increases after the first stimulation during a bithermal caloric test, subsequent repeated stimulations may be likely to induce autonomic symptoms such as nausea. OBJECTIVE: Nausea often occurs as a vestibulo-autonomic symptom during the caloric test. However, there have been only a few clinical studies of autonomic activity during this test. To determine whether certain factors can predict the development of nausea, we performed an autonomic function test by means of R-R interval spectral analysis of the ECG during caloric testing. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study subjects were 53 healthy volunteers aged 22-39 years (41 males, 12 females; mean age 25.3 years) and a 35-year-old male patient with a labyrinthine defect. The caloric test was performed in 43 subjects using an air caloric apparatus with bithermal stimulation of alternate ears. After each stimulation, the subjects were asked about autonomic symptoms. Serial ECG records were obtained and R-R interval spectral analysis was performed. RESULTS: Severe nausea was observed in 12 subjects (28%). In the group with severe nausea, the HF component of the R-R interval spectrum increased after the first caloric stimulation when autonomic symptoms had not yet become marked.

[Middle ear overpressure treatment in severe Menière's disease].

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of middle ear pressure pulse on endolymphatic hydrops in humans, Meniett20k was used for 12 months in two severe elderly patients with definite Meniere's disease. The average number of vertigo occurrences in the 6 months before treatment and in the 12 months after treatment started was compared. Numeric values (NV) among patients were calculated and categorized into an improved group (NV = 1-40). For hearing function, the pure-tone average (PTA) before and 12 months after treatment started was compared. PTA was calculated based on the following equation: PTA = (A + 2XB + C)/4. A, B, and C were thresholds of the pure-tone audiometory at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz. In one case, hearing function was unchanged, but deteriorated in the other. Pressure pulse treatment may thus be useful in severe cases of Meniere's, especially in the elderly, bilateral cases, and in endolymphatic hydrops in a single hearing ear.

Cochlear implantation in a patient with mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a Nucleus C124M cochlear implant in a patient with mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 29-year-old woman with MELAS syndrome presented with sensorineural hearing loss and diabetes mellitus and underwent multichannel cochlear implantation. The follow-up period was 10 months. The case history, assessment of mitochondrial disease, indications for the cochlear implant and the benefits of cochlear implantation were evaluated. RESULTS: Nine months after the surgery the patient could use the telephone and was quite satisfied with the improvement in communication due to the cochlear implant. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation can be recommended for patients with MELAS syndrome if they have residual retrocochlear function. Single photon emission computerized tomography was found to be very useful for evaluating retrocochlear function.