The ubiquity of asymptomatic respiratory viral infections in the tonsils and adenoids of children and their impact on airway obstruction.

Background: Airway obstruction due to enlargement of tonsils and adenoids is a common pediatric problem resulting in sleep disordered breathing. The cause for the relatively abnormal growth of tonsils and adenoids is poorly understood.

Methods: Non-acutely ill children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) for various reasons were enrolled prospectively in a study to determine the frequency of asymptomatic respiratory viral infections in each lymphoid tissue and to relate the number and types of virus to the degree of airway obstruction.

Utility of preoperative hematologic screening for pediatric adenotonsillectomy.

We conducted a 3-year retrospective study to examine the results of preoperative hematologic screening, the incidence of postoperative bleeding, and the possible relationship between the two factors in patients who had undergone tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. Our study population was made up of 875 patients--441 boys and 434 girls, aged 2 to 18 years (mean: 7.52 ± 4.

Congenital malformations of the oral cavity.

Congenital malformations of the oral cavity may involve the lips, jaws, hard palate, floor of mouth, and anterior two thirds of the tongue. These malformations may be the product of errors in embryogenesis or the result of intrauterine events disturbing embryonic and fetal growth. This article begins with a review of the pertinent embryologic development of these structures.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss and antiphospholipid syndrome.

The antiphospholipid syndrome is the association between the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity and mortality. This report presents two cases of antiphospholipid antibodies and sensorineural hearing loss and discusses the probable causative link. We recommend that patients presenting with sudden sensorineural hearing loss are investigated for evidence of antiphospholipid antibodies.

Cochlear implantation and meningitis.

Objective: Study clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of cochlear implant patients diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

Background: Cochlear implantation in children is necessary for the optimal development of speech in the developing child diagnosed with profound sensorineural hearing loss. Approximately 60,000 devices have been inserted in adults and children worldwide to date.