Automated surgery planning for an obstructed nose by combining computational fluid dynamics with reinforcement learning.

Septoplasty and turbinectomy are among the most common interventions in the field of rhinology. Their constantly debated success rates and the lack of quantitative flow data of the entire nasal airway for planning the surgery necessitate methodological improvement. Thus, physics-based surgery planning is highly desirable.

[Neuroendocrine tumors in head and neck].

Introduction: NETs are benign or malign tumors, which originate from cells of the endocrine (hormonal) and nervous systems. 0,5-2 % of the neoplasms are neuroendocrine tumors, which are mostly located in the gastrointestinal or bronchopulmonal tract. Die incidence is about 9000/100000.

Olfactory functioning in adults with Tourette syndrome.

Tourette syndrome is a chronic tic disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. Comorbidities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder can be found. The overlap between neuroanatomical regions and neurotransmitter systems in the olfactory system and the pathophysiology of Tourette syndrome let us hypothesize altered olfactory performance in Tourette syndrome.

Cinnarizine and dimenhydrinate in the treatment of vertigo in medical practice.

The efficacy and safety of the fixed combination of cinnarizine 20 mg and dimenhydrinate 40 mg in the treatment of vertigo of various origins have been investigated in a prospective, noninterventional study involving private practices throughout Germany. A total of 1275 patients with an average age of 61.2 years participated in the study.

Vestibular rehabilitation using the Nintendo® Wii Balance Board -- a user-friendly alternative for central nervous compensation.

Conclusion: The Nintendo® Wii Balance Board is a cost-effective and user-friendly alternative to other popular frequently used systems that aid vestibular compensation, particularly in elderly patients. In addition, further treatment in the home environment is possible.

Objective: This cohort study was designed to investigate the impact of the Nintendo® Wii Balance Board as a visual compensation device after acute vestibular neuritis.

The future of medical diagnostics: review paper.

While histopathology of excised tissue remains the gold standard for diagnosis, several new, non-invasive diagnostic techniques are being developed. They rely on physical and biochemical changes that precede and mirror malignant change within tissue. The basic principle involves simple optical techniques of tissue interrogation.

At the frontiers of surgery: review.

The complete surgical removal of disease is a desirable outcome particularly in oncology. Unfortunately much disease is microscopic and difficult to detect causing a liability to recurrence and worsened overall prognosis with attendant costs in terms of morbidity and mortality. It is hoped that by advances in optical diagnostic technology we could better define our surgical margin and so increase the rate of truly negative margins on the one hand and on the other hand to take out only the necessary amount of tissue and leave more unaffected non-diseased areas so preserving function of vital structures.

The internal dimensions of the cochlear scalae with special reference to cochlear electrode insertion trauma.

Hypothesis: To investigate the intracochlear micromorphology with regard to frequent patterns of cochlear electrode insertion trauma.

Objective: Cochlear implantation is a widely accepted treatment for deafness and high-grade sensorineural hearing loss. Although the device and the implantation methods are continuously optimized, damage of intracochlear structures due to electrode insertion is a frequent finding in temporal bone studies.

On the number of turns in human cochleae.

Objective: The number of human cochlear turns is generally accepted being 2 1/2, although cases with up to 2 3/4 or even 3 turns are known from literature. This study was performed to evaluate the actual number of cochlear turns and its variance.

Methods: Histologic temporal bone series from the "Wittmaack temporal bone collection" (Hamburg, Germany) were examined, and the number of scala media segments was counted using the midmodiolar sections.

Free-text data entry by speech recognition software and its impact on clinical routine.

We conducted a study to evaluate speech recognition software in an otorhinolaryngology unit and to assess its impact on productivity prior to general implementation. Current speech recognition software (IBM ViaVoice, version 10) was implemented on a personal computer with a 2-GHz central processing unit, 256 MB of RAM, and a 30-GB hard disk drive, with and without add-on professional vocabulary for otorhinolaryngology. This vocabulary was added by the automated analysis of an additional 12,257 documents from our department.

Morphological effects of nanosecond- and femtosecond-pulsed laser ablation on human middle ear ossicles.

We evaluate the feasibility of nanosecond-pulsed and femtosecond-pulsed lasers for otologic surgery. The outcome parameters are cutting precision (in micrometers), ablation rate (in micrometers per second), scanning speed (in millimeters per second), and morphological effects on human middle ear ossicles. We examine single-spot ablations by a nanosecond-pulsed, frequency-tripled Nd:YAG laser (355 nm, beam diameter 10 microm, pulse rate 2 kHz, power 250 mW) on isolated human mallei.

Speech perception in elderly patients following cochlear implantation.

Conclusions: Elderly patients benefit from cochlear implantation in terms of speech perception and quality of life. Age alone should be no contraindication for implantation.

Objective: There have been concerns whether elderly patients may perform poorly after cochlear implantation due to degenerative processes in the central and peripheral auditory systems.

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in children.

Objective: Although idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is a frequent disease in adults, less is known about incidence and treatment of ISSHL in children.

Method: A retrospective chart analysis was performed to evaluate the frequency of ISSHL in children aged under 18 years between 2000 and 2003, who were treated in our department. Children received prednisolone intravenously at an initial dose of 3mg/kg bodyweight.

Subclassification of vestibular disorders by means of statistical analysis in caloric labyrinth testing.

Objective: In the past, various attempts were made to perform a quantitative analysis of nystagmographic findings but their diagnostic value was limited. Therefore, the authors present a multivariate analysis of nystagmus findings with the aim of increasing the precision of diagnostic differentiation in cases of vestibular dysfunction.

Material And Methods: A group of 387 patients and 40 healthy volunteers were examined over a 14-month period using electronystagmography after stimulation by bithermal, bilateral irrigation of the labyrinth.

Colour texture analysis for quantitative laryngoscopy.

Objective: Whilst considerable progress has been made in enhancing the quality of indirect laryngoscopy and image processing, the evaluation of clinical findings is still based on the clinician's judgement. The aim of this paper was to examine the feasibility of an objective computer-based method for evaluating laryngeal disease.

Material And Methods: Digitally recorded images obtained by 90 degree- and 70 degree-angled indirect rod laryngoscopy using standardized white balance values were made of 16 patients and 19 healthy subjects.

Long-term follow-up after laser-induced endotracheal fire.

The objective of this presentation is to outline long-term complications and their management in contrast to acute measures after endotracheal laser-induced fire. This case focuses on a 56-year-old patient in whom an endotracheal fire occurred during CO2 laser surgery. Despite local swelling and evidence of acute lung injury, the patient was extubated the following day under single-shot cortisone and inhalation of dispersed adrenaline under assisted spontaneous breathing.