Safe extraction of an impacted open safety pin from the esophagus: report of 9 cases.

Purpose: Foreign body ingestion is a common problem in children. An infrequent ingested item is an open safety pin (SP), which may become lodged in the esophagus and presents the endoscopist a challenge to his surgical judgment and technical skills.

Materials And Methods: We present 9 cases of infants with open SPs impacted in the esophagus and discuss the different options to treat these cases.

Percutaneous tracheotomy in bone marrow transplant patients with severe thrombocytopenia.

Objective: Evaluation of percutaneous tracheotomy in bone marrow transplant patients with severe thrombocytopenia.

Design: A retrospective outcome study.

Patients: A retrospective study of 26 percutaneous tracheotomies was performed at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

Reading performance in children with otitis media.

Objective: To examine whether middle ear diseases and the associated hearing loss in early childhood affect reading performance later at school.

Study Design And Setting: One hundred and sixty children, 6.5 to 8 years of age, were enrolled in this study: 80 children with a history of recurrent infections and/or prolonged periods of effusions of the middle ear before the age of 5 years, and 80 healthy children without any history of middle ear disease.

Delayed diagnosis of tracheoesophageal prosthesis aspiration.

In 1980, Singer and Blom published the results of their study on use of the tracheoesophageal puncture prosthesis for restoration of voice after total laryngectomy. Since then, the placement of tracheoesophageal puncture prostheses has been an integral part of rehabilitation after laryngectomy. Complications of this procedure have been recognized and are usually minimal.

Bilateral tinnitus due to middle-ear myoclonus.

Tinnitus is a common otological symptom. Usually it is subjective (perceived only by the patient); very rarely is it objective (heard by both the patient and the examiner) Objective tinnitus due to middle-ear myoclonus is extremely rare, with only a few case reports published in the literature. We present three cases of objective tinnitus caused by middle-ear myoclonus.

Antioxidants in treatment of idiopathic sudden hearing loss.

Objective: Assuming that superoxide anion radicals (O(2)-) may play a role in damage to the inner ear, the authors investigated the possible benefit of vitamin E as an antioxidant in the treatment of idiopathic sudden hearing loss.

Study Design: Prospective, double-blind study.

Setting: The Department of Otolaryngology of Rambam Medical Center serves as a tertiary referral center for a population of 1.

Stapedius muscle myoclonus.

Myoclonus of the middle ear is a very rare condition. We present the case of a 20-year-old soldier who was exposed to intense artillery noise during a fierce battle and immediately afterward complained of an incapacitating tinnitus in both ears. Microscopic examination of the ears demonstrated rapid rhythmic movements of the tympanic membrane coinciding with the tinnitus, which was also easily heard by the examiner.

The beverage maté: a risk factor for cancer of the head and neck.

Background: Maté is a tealike beverage consumed habitually in South America and among South Americans throughout the world. It is brewed from the dried leaves and stemlets of the perennial tree Ilex paraguariensis (yerba maté), a species that belongs to the Aquifoliaceae family. Maté consumption has been associated with an increased rate of oral, oropharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal cancers.

Early complications of tracheostomy performed in the operating room.

Tracheostomy is one of the oldest operations in medicine. The intraoperative and postoperative complications associated with this procedure are well established. Recently, percutaneous and open bedside tracheostomy in the intensive care unit has been reported as an alternative to tracheostomies performed in the operating room.

Late visual and auditory toxicity of radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Aims And Background: Classical irradiation of carcinoma of the nasopharynx involves large fields and high doses; therefore, significant late toxicity and late side effects are to be expected. Given the fact that nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a relatively radiosensitive disease and a significant proportion of patients are long-term survivors, late visual and auditory complications of treatment are of utmost concern for patients and radiation oncologists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term visual and auditory toxicity in patients treated with radiotherapy for NPC.

Paper patching for chronic tympanic membrane perforations.

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the results of paper-patch myringoplasty in patients with chronic perforations of the tympanic membrane of different sizes.

Study Design And Setting: A retrospective survey of paper-patch myringoplasties performed in a tertiary referral academic medical center on 77 patients with chronic perforations of the eardrum was carried out. Data consisted of the causes of the perforations, time the perforations had been present, their size, number of patch applications, duration of application, and number of successfully closed perforations.

Percutaneous dilation tracheotomy versus surgical tracheotomy: our experience.

Background: Percutaneous dilation tracheotomy (PDT) is becoming a popular alternative to surgical tracheotomy. In our department, we recently adopted the use of the PDT in intensive care unit patients. Here, we compare the results of the use of these 2 techniques on 150 patients, all performed by the same surgeon.

Tracheotomy: changing indications and a review of 1,130 cases.

Background: Tracheotomy is one of the oldest known operations, dating back to ancient Egypt and India some 3000 years ago. The indications for tracheotomy have changed and expanded during the twentieth century. Today, owing to advancements in intensive care and the widespread use of mechanical ventilation, tracheotomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures and is encountered on a regular basis by hospital physicians in all fields.

Magnesium: a new therapy for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective: To determine whether treatment with Mg(2+) improves the outcome of idiopathic sudden hearing loss and to investigate which variables influence its prognosis.

Study Design: Prospective randomized study.

Setting: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

The use of otic powder in the treatment of acute external otitis.

Background: Acute external otitis (AEO) is a painful condition that results as a secondary infection of macerated skin and subcutaneous tissues of the external auditory canal. The most commonly causative microorganisms are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Classic management strategies include moisture prevention, cleansing of the canal and administration of topical antimicrobial agents in drop form, such as aminoglycosides and quinolones, at times in combination with steroid solutions.

Hyposmia following laryngectomy: experimental model.

Hyposmia following laryngectomy is a well-known clinical observation, yet the causes have been controversial for many years. In an attempt to resolve this issue, an animal model was constructed. Eighteen dogs were divided into three equal groups: control dogs, dogs that underwent tracheostomy, and dogs that underwent tracheostomy and denervation of the larynx, simulating total laryngectomy.

Synergistic necrotizing cellulitis as a complication of peritonsillar abscess.

Peritonsillar abscess, a complication of tonsillitis, is not uncommon. The usual treatment consists of needle aspiration or surgical drainage and antibiotic treatment. Tonsillectomy may be used in the management of this condition, either at the time of diagnosis or after an interval period.

The association between iron-deficiency anemia and recurrent acute otitis media.

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the association between iron-deficiency anemia and the frequency of recurrent acute otitis media in children, and to evaluate the effect of restoring normal hemoglobin levels on the frequency of acute otitis media attacks.

Materials And Methods: A total of 680 children with frequent episodes of acute otitis media were enrolled in the study. The levels of the hemoglobin were measured in both these children and in 200 healthy children with no history of infections.

Epstein-Barr virus and cancers of the head and neck.

Denis Burkitt pioneered the association of viruses and cancer in humans with his observations of lymphomatous tumors in children in equatorial Africa. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a human B lymphotrophic herpes virus, is strongly associated with undifferentiated carcinoma of the nasopharynx and African-type Burkitt's lymphoma. More recently, an association of this virus with other epithelial neoplasms, lymphomas, and immunodeficiency-related malignant and nonmalignant conditions has been reported.

The effects of noise on the vestibular system.

Purpose: Subjects with noise-induced hearing loss sometimes also complain about balance disorders, but reports of clinical series that give contradictory results are highly controversial. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of intense noise on the vestibular labyrinth, both in subjects with symmetrical hearing loss and in subjects with asymmetrical loss, and to examine the correlation between the subjects' complaints and the results of the vestibular function tests.

Methods: A total of 258 male military personnel, heavily exposed to various intense noises, were included in the study.

Malignant tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses: a retrospective review of 291 cases.

Malignant neoplasms of the nose and paranasal sinuses are not common among the general population. We present a retrospective study of 291 cases of malignant tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses that were diagnosed in a northern Romanian population over a period of 35 years. We review the etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of these tumors.

Acute mastoiditis--the antibiotic era: a multicenter study.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical course and identify the causative organisms of acute mastoiditis in a community where most of the patients who develop acute otitis media are treated with antibiotics.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective review of a series of 223 consecutive cases of acute mastoiditis.

Setting: Nine secondary or tertiary academic or non-academic referral centers.

Misplaced parotid glands: bilateral agenesis of parotid glands associated with bilateral accessory parotid tissue.

Agenesis of the parotid is a rare entity. It is usually unilateral but bilateral cases have been described as a rare cause of xerostomia. Accessory parotid tissue is also uncommon and is not normally associated with aplasia of the parotid gland.