Bell's palsy workup: Does audiometry add value?

Objective: To investigate if routine audiometry in Bell's palsy patients has prognostic value.

Methods: Retrospective case review was conducted on all Bell's palsy patients (n=191) seen at the tertiary otolaryngology specialist outpatient clinic from 2015 to 2017. Correlation of ipsilesional audiometric thresholds with patients' time-to-recovery and initial clinical severity (measured by House-Brackmann (HB) scoring) were used for the prognostic outcome measure.

Retropharyngeal pseudoabscess manifesting in nephrotic syndrome.

We describe a case of nephrotic syndrome that manifested as a retropharyngeal pseudoabscess. The patient was a 32-year-old man who presented with a short history of throat discomfort and a choking sensation. Laryngoscopy identified bulging of the posterior pharyngeal wall that partially occluded the laryngeal inlet.

Head and neck cancers masquerading as deep neck abscesses.

Deep neck space abscesses are common otolaryngological emergencies, and prompt incision and drainage is the treatment of choice. Head and neck cancers often present with cervical metastases that may become secondarily infected. Clinical presentation is similar to a deep neck abscess.

Intraglossal impaction of ingested fish bones: a case series.

Although foreign body ingestion and impaction in the pharynx or hypopharynx are quite commonly encountered at our institution, foreign body impaction in tongue tissue is rare. Six cases of foreign bodies embedded in the tongue were identified in a retrospective review spanning the years 1998 to 2007. All the foreign bodies were fish bones.

Urgent awake tracheotomy for impending airway obstruction.

Background/objective: Awake tracheotomy is performed for patients with impending airway obstruction. Few studies to date have addressed the issues surrounding awake tracheotomy. We sought to review the indications, complications, and outcome of awake tracheotomy for urgent airway control.