CT and MRI in the Preoperative Planning of Balloon Dilation of the Eustachian Tube: Literature Review.

Balloon dilatation of the Eustachian tube (BET) is a surgical treatment method for Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), which relieves the symptoms in the majority of cases. However, there are potential intraoperative risks associated with BET; the decision-making process with regard to indications for BET is not standardized up to date. The objective of this study was to review the role of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative planning of BET.

Eosinophilic Otitis Media: Modern Aspects of Pathogenesis, Clinical Features, Diagnosis and Treatment.

Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is an inflammatory chronic disease of the middle ear, characterized by the presence of a particularly viscous effusion with a high content of protein toxins of eosinophilic origin in the middle ear cavity. The pathology has relationship with bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. EOM is characterized by a sluggish course, a tendency to relapse, which can lead to a gradual hearing decrease up to complete deafness.

Stem cell therapy for vocal fold regeneration after scarring: a review of experimental approaches.

This review aims at becoming a guide which will help to plan the experimental design and to choose adequate methods to assess the outcomes when testing cell-based products in the treatment of the damaged vocal folds. The requirements to preclinical trials of cell-based products remain rather hazy and dictated by the country regulations. Most parameters like the way the cells are administered, selection of the cell source, selection of a carrier, and design of in vivo studies are decided upon by each research team and may differ essentially between studies.

Antibiotics, gut microbiota, and irritable bowel syndrome: What are the relations?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder in which recurrent abdominal pain is associated with defecation or a change in bowel habits (constipation, diarrhea, or both), and it is often accompanied by symptoms of abdominal bloating and distension. IBS is an important health care issue because it negatively affects the quality of life of patients and places a considerable financial burden on health care systems. Despite extensive research, the etiology and underlying pathophysiology of IBS remain incompletely understood.

Chronic tympanic membrane perforation: Histopathological evidence of the experimental model.

Objectives: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of three different models of chronic tympanic membrane perforations.

Materials: The experimental study included 18 male chinchillas, divided into 3 equal groups. Group 1 perforations were performed with infolding technique myringotomy.

Infrared Laser Effect on Healthy and Ossified Costal Cartilage: The Development of Stable Load-Bearing Autoimplants.

Background And Objective: The laser-induced stress relaxation provides new prospects to obtain stable long fragments of costal cartilage for autoimplantation avoiding the risk of spontaneous deformation and poor engraftment. However, the age-related alterations of cartilage may sufficiently influence its interaction with infrared (IR) laser radiation and disrupt the effectiveness and safety of the technique. The aim of the work is to study the influence of the structural quality of costal cartilage on its interaction with IR laser and efficiency of obtaining of curved implants for trachea surgery.

Collagen fibrillar structures in vocal fold scarring and repair using stem cell therapy: a detailed histological, immunohistochemical and atomic force microscopy study.

Regenerative medicine opens new opportunities in the repair of cicatricial lesions of the vocal folds. Here, we present a thorough morphological study, with the focus on the collagen structures in the mucosa of the vocal folds, dedicated to the effects of stem cells on the vocal folds repair after cicatricial lesions. We used a conventional experimental model of a mature scar of the rabbit vocal folds, which was surgically excised with a simultaneous implantation of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into the defect.

Laser septochondrocorrection.

Objective: To present results from a clinical series of patients who underwent office-based laser nasal septal cartilage reshaping.

Design: Nonrandomized prospective clinical trial.

Setting: Outpatient university-based otolaryngology clinic.