[Emergencies in ear, nose and throat medicine].

Emergencies in ear, nose and throat medicine in the preclinical setting are common. Due to the narrow anatomical conditions, relocation or bleeding in this area can quickly lead to an emergency situation. In this article, the most important causes of bleeding, shortness of breath and trauma are to be presented and the corresponding treatment briefly outlined.

Comparison of Clinical Examination and Various Imaging Modalities in the Diagnosis of Head and Neck Cancer.

 Squamous cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (HNSCC) is the most common tumor entity of malignant processes in the head and neck area. Due to the metastasizing behavior of these tumors, the staging is indispensable for the treatment planning and requires imaging techniques, which are sensitive, specific, and as far as possible cost-effective, to benefit ultimately the patient and to ensure optimal care.  The aim of the present study is to compare the clinical examination including palpation, ultrasound and computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of neck metastases to make the correct indication for a neck dissection.

[Thyroid medicine for ENT physicians].

Diseases of the thyroid gland are frequent incidental findings during ultrasound examination of the neck. They affect nearly one third of the normal population. Treatment is not always indicated; however, laboratory diagnostic measures must be initiated to specify the disease.

Differential chemokine expression patterns in tonsillar disease.

Expression profiles of CXC- and CC-chemokines in various forms of tonsillar disease were studied to evaluate whether certain chemokines play a predominant role in a specific subset of tonsillar disease. Total RNA was isolated from 89 biopsies (21 hyperplastic palatine tonsils, 25 adenoids, 16 chronic inflammatory palatine tonsils and 27 chronic inflammatory palatine tonsils with histological prove of acute inflammation), reverse transcribed and subjected to PCR amplifying IL-8, Gro-alpha, eotaxin-1, eotaxin-2, MCP-3, MCP-4 and RANTES. 2% agarose gel electrophoresis revealed a predominance of IL-8 in the chronic inflammatory palatine tonsil group compared to tonsillar hyperplasia.

Assessment of skills using a virtual reality temporal bone surgery simulator.

Surgery on the temporal bone is technically challenging due to its complex anatomy. Precise anatomical dissection of the human temporal bone is essential and is fundamental for middle ear surgery. We assessed the possible application of a virtual reality temporal bone surgery simulator to the education of ear surgeons.

Aspirin sensitivity and chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps: a fatal combination.

Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) refers to aspirin sensitivity, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), nasal polyposis, asthma, eosinophil inflammation in the upper and lower airways, urticaria, angioedema, and anaphylaxis following the ingestion of NSAIDs. Epidemiologic and pathophysiological links between these diseases are established. The precise pathogenesis remains less defined, even though there is some progress in the understanding of several molecular mechanisms.

[Infraorbital lesion after scuba diving with chronic sinusitis: diagnosis and treatment of reverse block].

A 32-year-old diver repeatedly reported pain in the right side of the face after diving. He felt strong pain on pressure over the right face combined with hypaesthesia of the infraorbital nerve. In addition, he reported nasal breathing obstruction and problems regulating pressure in the middle ear.

Sleep apnoea in patients after treatment of head neck cancer.

Conclusions: The prevalence of sleep apnoea among patients following treatment of head and neck carcinomas seems to be slightly higher than in the normal population. The possible importance of tumour treatment features, especially transient tracheostoma, needs further assessment.

Objectives: The epidemiology of sleep apnoea in patients following the treatment of head and neck cancer remains unclear.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the hypopharynx: clinical diagnosis, immunohistochemical findings and treatment of this rare disease.

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) is a rare benign lesion, often imitating a malignant disease. An IPT was found in the sinus piriformis of a 40-year-old male who suffered from dysphagia, globus feeling and a weight loss of 5 kilograms in six months. Neither common infections previously described in combination with IPT such as human herpes virus (HHV) 8, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acute Epstein Barr virus (EBV), nor evidence of manifestation of a systemic mastocytosis or a malignant disease were found.

[Application of skin adhesives in head and neck surgery: analysis of cosmetic results, applicability and cost-effectiveness of cyanoacrylate-based adhesives].

Background: In this work cyanoacrylate-based skin adhesives used in Germany for skin closure in head and neck surgery are compared with respect to ease of application, cost-effectiveness and cosmetic results.

Patients And Materials: We compared 25 wounds sealed with a skin adhesive with 25 suture-sealed wounds.

Results: Bonding of surgical wounds with glue had a high level of acceptance in all patients.

[A rare cause of facial asymmetry: nasoalveolar cyst: a clinical report].

Unlabelled: Nasoalveolar cysts are rare nonodontogenic cysts that develop from the soft tissue in the mucobuccal area of the nasal ala. Their origin is a residuum of the nasolacrimal canal.

Clinical Case: A 45-year-old woman had been aware of a painless tumor at the base of the nose and in the region of the left nasal ala for several months.

[Acute hearing loss from scuba-diving holidays: diagnosis and treatment of barotrauma of the inner ear].

A 35-year-old diver noticed hearing loss and tinnitus after his diving holiday. He presented to the Lübeck clinical practice for divers, and we found vascular injections on the eardrum. Audiometry showed a high-degree hearing loss of 40-60 dB.

[Obstructive sleep apnea in patients with Parkinson's disease--report of two cases and review].

Background: The use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is well established in treatment of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The judgement of clinical symptoms like daytime sleepiness and hypersomnolence with loss in concentration is complicated in patients with diagnosis of Morbus Parkinson (MP) because the disease itself and pharmacologic therapy may mimic clinical features of OSAS.

Patients And Methods: Diagnostic pathways and differential diagnostic considerations are demonstrated in two case reports of patients with MP and OSAS.

Analysis of plasmacytoid and myeloid dendritic cells in nasal epithelium.

The role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC), the major producers of alpha interferon upon viral infection, in the nasal mucosa is largely unknown. Here we examined the presence of PDC together with myeloid dendritic cells (MDC) in the nasal epithelia of healthy individuals, of asymptomatic patients with chronic nasal allergy, of patients undergoing steroid therapy, and of patients with infectious rhinitis or rhinosinusitis. Considerable numbers of PDC and MDC could be detected in the nasal epithelium.

Isolation of human myeloid dendritic cells from tumor tissue and peripheral blood.

Background: Human myeloid dendritic cells (MDC) have been identified in human solid tumor tissue of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), their cellular functions being strongly affected in this environment. The characterization of MDC differentiation and functions requires the establishment of highly efficient isolation procedures.

Materials And Methods: Human MDC were isolated from peripheral blood and solid HNSCC using density gradient centrifugation or preparation of single cell suspensions, respectively.

Generation of an autologous cell system for immunotherapy of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Background: To date, there is no tumor antigen known to be sufficiently specific for diagnosis, therapy monitoring and immunotherapy of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The aim of our study was to generate an autologous immune response against SCCHN in vitro for further characterization of SCCHN-specific tumor markers and adoptive immunotherapy.

Materials And Methods: As sources for tumor antigens (Ags) for the restimulation of autologous immune cells, cell lines from solid SCCHN were established and characterized.

Sensitive and specific photometric determination of mannitol in human serum.

Mannitol is an osmotically active polyalcohol often present in fluids used for irrigation of exposed tissue during minimal invasive surgery. Since this polyol normally is not detected in human plasma to any significant extent, it may be used as a laboratory marker of absorption of mannitol-containing irrigative fluids during surgery. For this aim, we developed a photometric assay of mannitol in human blood or serum that may be performed in a near-patient setting.

A new central supply system as alternative source for bicarbonate dialysate.

Bicarbonate dialysis is mandatory for high efficiency treatment. In most cases bicarbonate is delivered either as prepacked powder or as a stable liquid concentrate in 6-10 I plastic containers. With a newly designed central supply system (CSS) using 800 I tanks of custom-made sterile and pyrogen free concentrates, we investigated the risk of bacterial contamination of dialysate in a 30-bed dialysis unit.

Teicoplanin: renal tolerance and pharmacokinetics in rats.

The nephrotoxicity and pharmacokinetics of teicoplanin were studied in an experimental rat model. Nephrotoxicity was assessed by measuring urinary excretion of tubular cells and malate dehydrogenase. The experiments revealed that 1 mg/kg or more of teicoplanin daily resulted in an increase of excretion rates of tubular cells.