Cricopharyngeal achalasia in children: surgical and medical treatment.

Background: Cricopharyngeal achalasia (CA) is a rare cause of dysphagia in children presenting with non-specific symptoms such as choking, food regurgitation, nasal reflux, coughing, recurrent pneumonia, cyanosis, and failure to thrive. It results from failure of relaxation of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) and may appea reither as an isolated lesion or in conjunction with other pathologies. Recognition and early diagnosis of this condition may minimize morbidity in children.

Hearing loss in bullous myringitis.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of sensorineural and mixed hearing loss in patients with bullous myringitis.

Methods: Prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care medical center.Patients diagnosed as having bullous myringitis in our medical center between 2007 and 2009, underwent pure-tone audiometry upon presentation and were treated according to physicians' preferences

Results: Bullous myringitis was diagnosed in 43 patients (16 males, 27 females) with a mean age of 30.