Quantitative measurement of the flow depending nasal valve function by elastography with electro-optical distance sensors. A pilot study.

Nasal valve function depends on the intensity of the inspiratory nasal airflow, the geometry of the nasal entrance and the mechanical properties of the lateral nasal wall. It is desirable to obtain objective information on the relation between flow and valve movement. In this study, the deflection of the lateral nasal wall and the inspiratory flow were measured on 30 healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 82 without a history of severe trauma or nasal surgery.

Elastometry - The biomechanical analysis of the lateral nasal wall.

'Elastometry' is a novel technique that allows for the quantitative assessment of elastic properties of the nasal tissues, providing valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of the external, soft lateral nasal wall. This study aimed to explore the application of 'elastometry' in understanding the biomechanics of the lateral nasal wall and its implications for nasal function in 'elastometry' measurements. After validation of safety and reliability of this method, we investigated mechanical properties of the lateral nasal wall by 'elastometry' using specifically developed measurement forceps with end pieces including sensors applied on 30 healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 82 without a history of severe trauma or surgery.

Mitochondrial Disease and Hearing Loss in Children: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Hearing loss is a clinical symptom, frequently mentioned in the context of mitochondrial disease. With no cure available for mitochondrial disease, supportive treatment of clinical symptoms like hearing loss is of the utmost importance. The aim of this study was to summarize current knowledge on hearing loss in genetically proven mitochondrial disease in children and deduce possible and necessary consequences in patient care.

Genetic Determinants of Non-Syndromic Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct: A Review.

Hearing loss is the most common sensorial deficit in humans and one of the most common birth defects. In developed countries, at least 60% of cases of hearing loss are of genetic origin and may arise from pathogenic sequence alterations in one of more than 300 genes known to be involved in the hearing function. Hearing loss of genetic origin is frequently associated with inner ear malformations; of these, the most commonly detected is the enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA).

[Molecular and functional testing in case of hereditary hearing loss associated with the SLC26A4 gene].

Due to development of molecular techniques at hand, the number of genomic sequence variants detected in patient investigations is rising constantly. The number of potentially involved genes in hereditary hearing loss is rising simultaneously.In this overview, current methods for diagnostic workup on a molecular and functional level for variants of the gene are described.

[Ear aid in Myanmar].

As the example of a small team working in Myanmar since 2010 has demonstrated, it is possible to achieve sustainable success in medical education and training in foreign countries with relatively little effort, in this case in middle ear surgery. The main requirements are outstanding communication within the team as well as with the authorities, organizations, and colleagues on site. Equally important is mindful and respectful work in the hosting country and the consideration of cultural particularities.

Temporary Explant of a Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Implant for Imaging of the Pituitary Gland.

Objective: Clinical report on feasibility and outcome of a surgical procedure.

Patient: Nine-year-old child, supplied with a transcutaneous bone conduction hearing implant, requiring magnetic resonance imaging of the head to exclude a tumor of the pituitary gland.

Intervention: Temporal removal and subsequent reimplantation of the implant in a single surgical procedure.

Clonal evolution and heterogeneity in metastatic head and neck cancer-An analysis of the Austrian Study Group of Medical Tumour Therapy study group.

Background: Tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution within a cancer patient are deemed responsible for relapse in malignancies and present challenges to the principles of targeted therapy, for which treatment modality is often decided based on the molecular pathology of the primary tumour. Nevertheless, the clonal architecture in distant relapse of head and neck cancer is fairly unknown.

Patients And Methods: For this project, we analysed a cohort of 386 patients within the Austrian Registry of head and neck cancer.

Functional Testing of SLC26A4 Variants-Clinical and Molecular Analysis of a Cohort with Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct from Austria.

The prevalence and spectrum of sequence alterations in the gene, which codes for the anion exchanger pendrin, are population-specific and account for at least 50% of cases of non-syndromic hearing loss associated with an enlarged vestibular aqueduct. A cohort of nineteen patients from Austria with hearing loss and a radiological alteration of the vestibular aqueduct underwent Sanger sequencing of and , coding for connexin 26. The pathogenicity of sequence alterations detected was assessed by determining ion transport and molecular features of the corresponding SLC26A4 protein variants.

The role of fissula ante fenestram in unilateral sudden hearing loss.

The cause of unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) remains unclear in many clinical cases. Perilymphatic leakage through a fissula ante fenestram (FAF) fistula is one possible reason. We present four clinical cases with proven FAF fistula, discovered during surgical exploration.

A common language to assess allergic rhinitis control: results from a survey conducted during EAACI 2013 Congress.

Background: The concept of control is gaining importance in the field of allergic rhinitis (AR), with a visual analogue scale (VAS) score being a validated, easy and attractive tool to evaluate AR symptom control. The doctors' perception of a VAS score as a good tool for evaluating AR symptom control is unknown, as is the level of AR control perceived by physicians who treat patients.

Methods: 307 voluntarily selected physicians attending the annual (2013) European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) meeting completed a digital survey.

Role of Radiosurgery in the Treatment of Brain Metastasis.

Craniotomy and stereotactic radiosurgery seem to be similarly effective and appropriate choices for the treatment of patients with favorable prognostic factors and limited brain metastases.