Posterior tympanotomy is a riskier procedure in chronic otitis media than in a normal mastoid: a high-resolution computed tomography study.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to compare the difficulty in performing a posterior tympanotomy in chronic otitis media (COM) versus the same procedure in a normal mastoid.

Materials And Methods: The study included 122 patients who underwent tympanomastoidectomy for unilateral chronic otitis media with contralateral normal mastoid pneumatization. We evaluated the anatomical relationships between the mastoid segment and neighboring structures by analyzing axial temporal bone computed tomography scans.

Attic cholesteatoma with tiny retraction of pars flaccida.

Objective: This clinical study was performed to analyze the characteristics of attic cholesteatoma occurring behind a tiny retraction of the pars flaccida, which was classified as Tos type I or II and had an intact pars tensa of the tympanic membrane.

Methods: The clinical records of patients who underwent tympanomastoidectomy for attic cholesteatoma at a tertiary care referral center (Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital of Seoul, Korea) between March 2004 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Eleven patients (five men and six women) who underwent tympanomastoidectomy between March 2004 and December 2012 for attic cholesteatoma occurring behind a tiny attic retraction were included.

Relationship between mode of delivery in childbirth and prevalence of allergic diseases in Korean children.

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that cesarean section might increase the risk for allergic diseases compared to vaginal delivery, by depriving the newborn of exposure to maternal microflora.

Methods: We evaluated the prevalence of allergic diseases, allergic inflammation, and allergic sensitization according to mode of delivery for 279 Korean children aged View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical implications of serum retinol-binding protein 4 in asthmatic children.

Recently the prevalence of both asthma and obesity have increased substantially in many countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of retinol-binding protein (RBP) 4 in childhood asthma and its association with atopy markers, pulmonary function, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in relation to obesity. We studied 160 children between the ages 6 to 10 yr, including 122 asthmatics and 38 controls.

Relationship between amphiregulin and airway inflammation in children with asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis.

Background: Amphiregulin, a member of the epidermal growth factor family, has been shown to promote the growth of fibroblasts, to be associated with the T-helper type 2 cell adaptive immune response, and to up-regulate mucin gene expression. We aimed to determine whether sputum amphiregulin is expressed at elevated levels in patients with asthma or eosinophilic bronchitis (EB), and whether it is associated with eosinophilic inflammation, pulmonary function, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in children.

Methods: A total of 117 children with asthma, 77 with EB, and 84 control subjects were enrolled in this study.