Executive summary of the SEORL CCC-SEEN consensus statement on post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism.

Hypoparathyroidism is the most common complication after total or completion thyroidectomy. It is defined as the presence of hypocalcemia accompanied by low or inappropriately normal parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Acute hypocalcemia is a potential lethal complication.

Executive summary of the SEORL CCC-SEEN consensus statement on post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism.

Hypoparathyroidism is the most common complication after total or completion thyroidectomy. It is defined as the presence of hypocalcemia accompanied by low or inappropriately normal parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Acute hypocalcemia is a potential lethal complication.

Guideline on cochlear implants.

Introduction: In the last decade numerous hospitals have started to work with patients who are candidates for a cochlear implant (CI) and there have been numerous and relevant advances in the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss that extended the indications for cochlear implants.

Objectives: To provide a guideline on cochlear implants to specialists in otorhinolaryngology, other medical specialities, health authorities and society in general.

Methods: The Scientific Committees of Otology, Otoneurology and Audiology from the Spanish Society of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (SEORL-CCC), in a coordinated and agreed way, performed a review of the current state of CI based on the existing regulations and in the scientific publications referenced in the bibliography of the document drafted.

Active middle ear implants.

Active middle ear implants are surgically implanted prosthesis, which intend to stimulate the ossicular chain or the inner ear fluids through the oval or round windows. These implants may be useful for the treatment of certain patients with sensorineural hearing loss as well as for conductive or mixed hearing loss. This clinical guide attempts to summarize the current knowledge concerning the basic characteristics and indications of the most commonly used middle ear implants, including Vibrant Soundbrige (Med-el, Innsbruck), Carina (Cochlear, Australia), and Codacs.

A new malleostapedotomy prosthesis. Experimental analysis by laser doppler vibrometer in fresh cadaver temporal bones.

Introduction And Objectives: One of the problems with total ossicular replacement prostheses is their stability. Prosthesis dislocations and extrusions are common in middle ear surgery. This is due to variations in endo-tympanic pressure as well as design defects.

Primary cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma. Case series 1991-2012.

Introduction And Objectives: Merkel cell carcinoma was first described by Toker in 1972. It is an uncommon, primary neuroendocrine skin carcinoma which appears in the dermoepidermic area, grows fast, is very aggressive and has a poor prognosis. The aim of this work is to highlight the importance of this tumour, which develops mainly in the skin of the head and neck area, and whose prevalence has increased in recent years.

The Zuckerkandl tubercle: problematic or helpful in thyroid surgery?

The Zuckerkandl tubercle is a residue from the embryological development of the thyroid gland. Although it is undeniably well known in surgery, this is not so among otolaryngologists. Our objective is to highlight the importance of the Zuckerkandl tubercle, as it has proven to be a reliable point of reference to locate the upper parathyroid, the lower thyroid artery and the recurrent nerve.

High-riding innominate artery in neck surgery.

We present two cases of innominate artery (IA) in a cervical position. In the first case, surgery was not performed because there was no indication. In the second, it was possible to obtain surgical images of the AI and its branches located in front of the laryngotracheal axis.

[Is the middle ear the first filter of frequency selectivity?].

Introduction And Objectives: The cochlea has traditionally been considered as the first frequency selection filter in the auditory pathway due to the contraction of its external ciliated cells. Yet, much evidence has emerged from work carried out during experiments with animals, some of which is anatomical (connections between the auditory pathway and motor nuclei of the middle ear muscles) and other physiological, which indicates that the middle ear might be the first filter through which specific sounds from noisy environments may initially be isolated.

Methods: In cooperation with the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Valladolid (UVa) we have developed and refined a new admittance meter capable of evaluating changes in impedance that occur in the human middle ear depending on frequency.

[Inverted acoustic reflex: an analysis of its morphological characteristics in different physiological and pathological situations].

Introduction And Objectives: Inverted acoustic reflex (IAR) or inverted acoustic effect is the name given to the positive deflexion observed during the carrying out of an admittancemetry when the ear is subjected to a high intensity sound, rather than the typical negative deflexion due to the contraction of the middle ear musculature. The objective of the paper is to analyze the morphology of the IAR by relating it to the situations (physiological or pathological) in which this effect appears with the aim of establishing a pathogenic hypothesis.

Methods: We study the admittance traces obtained in 50 patients on stimulating the ear with high sound intensities (between 100 and 110 dBs HL) in different situations (ageing, death, otosclerosis, facial palsy, perception hypoacusia and normoacusia).

[No-malignant lessions involving the paranasal sinuses and anterior skull base].

Background And Objectives: The lesions that involve the paranasal sinuses and the anterior cranial base at the same time are not unusual. These diseases have different features. The aim of this study is to set out the particularities of the non-malignant lesions involving both zones.

[Analysis of the mechanical-acoustic features of the middle ear after stapedial surgery both with and without stapes muscle preservation].

Introduction And Objective: Stapes replacement surgery performed in cases of otosclerosis alters various anatomical (ossicular, ligament, and tendon) elements of the middle ear affecting their physical properties. The goal of our work is to determine which of the surgical techniques applied during otosclerosis most respects the mechanical-acoustic features of the middle ear.

Patients And Method: We analyzed the audiological and admittance results of 100 patients who underwent various stapedial replacement techniques and compared them to 20 otologically healthy subjects.

[Total idiopathic laryngotracheal stenosis. Treatment with mitomycin C].

This case report involves a 69-year-old woman who presented idiopathic laryngotracheal stenosis with total obstruction of the airway. Seven surgical procedures involving open field and endoscopy techniques had to be performed due to repeated re-obstructions. The novelty in this case is that success was finally obtained with the use of mitomycin C.

Characterization of nasal paraffinoma following septorhinoplasty by attenuated total reflection--fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR).

Vaseline and paraffin have been injected into various parts of the body. Vaselinoma and paraffinoma are well-described complications, despite which nasal packing with Vaseline gauze is still common in the management of epistaxis, after rhinoplasty, endonasal surgery, to control bleeding and prevent synechiae or restenosis. Our aim is to highlight this complication, propose a safe method for its diagnosis and establish guidelines for its prevention.