Does the reduction of inferior turbinate size affect lower airway functions?

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
Author(s): Ozlem Unsal, Mehtap Ozkahraman, Mufide Arzu Ozkarafakili, Meltem Akpinar, Arzu Yasemin Korkut, Senem Kurt Dizdar, Berna Uslu Coskun
IntroductionAlthough the nose and lungs are separate organs, numerous studies have reported that the entire respiratory system can be considered as a single anatomical and functional unit. The upper and lower airways affect each other either directly or through reflex mechanisms.ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the radiofrequency ablation of persistent inferior turbinate hypertrophy on nasal and pulmonary function.MethodsTwenty-seven patients with bilateral persistent inferior turbinate hypertrophy without septal deviation were included in this study. All of the patients were evaluated using anterior rhinoscopy, nasal endoscopy, acoustic rhinometry, a visual analogue scale, and flow-sensitive spirometry on the day before and 4 months after the radiofrequency ablation procedure.ResultsThe post-ablation measurements revealed that the inferior turbinate ablation caused an increase in the mean cross-sectional area and volume of the nose, as well as in the forced expiratory volume in 1s, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow of the patients. These differences between the pre- and post-ablation results were statistically significant. The post-ablation visual analogue scale scores were lower when compared with the pre-ablation scores, and this difference was also statistically significant.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the widening of the nasal passage after the reduction of the inferior turbinate size had a favorable effect on the pulmonary function tests.



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A case of segmental stiff skin syndrome treated with systemic losartan

Abstract

Stiff skin syndrome (SSS) is a rare, autosomal dominant cutaneous disorder with progressive, symmetric, sclerotic skin changes of the shoulders, hips, and thighs. In a recent publication, a distinct segmental variant of SSS was proposed. In this report we discuss the case of a boy with segmental SSS and review the current literature.

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Intralabyrinthine sporadic endolymphatic sac tumour

Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017
Source:European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases
Author(s): C. Lucas, J.-C. Leclère, E. Mornet, R. Marianowski
IntroductionEndolymphatic sac tumours are benign, slowly growing tumours that invade the temporal bone, and present clinically in the form of unilateral hearing loss. They can be sporadic or occur in the context of Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL).Case summaryThe authors report a case of endolymphatic sac tumour arising in the utricle presenting histological and immunohistochemical features corresponding to endolymphatic sac tumour in a patient without VHL.DiscussionEndolymphatic sac tumours invade the posterior part of the petrous temporal bone. According to two studies concerning patients with Von Hippel-Lindau disease, endolymphatic sac tumours arise from the endolymphatic duct. This case of intralabyrinthine sporadic endolymphatic sac tumour supports this hypothesis for sporadic forms, indicating the need for labyrinthectomy associated with tumour resection to avoid recurrence.



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Circling Back for the Diagnosis

Foreword. In this Journal feature, information about a real patient is presented in stages (boldface type) to an expert clinician, who responds to the information, sharing his or her reasoning with the reader (regular type). The authors' commentary follows. Stage. A 28-year-old man presented to the…

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Case 33-2017: 22-Month-Old Conjoined Twins

Presentation of Case. Dr. Allan M. Goldstein: A pediatric surgeon at this hospital was contacted by a nonprofit organization to evaluate the possibility of surgical separation of conjoined twin girls. The twins were born by spontaneous vaginal delivery in East Africa. Because of the anticipated…

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Control of innate-like B cell location for compartmentalised IgM production

Lucy H Jackson-Jones | Cécile Bénézech

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Heme and hemolysis in innate immunity: adding insult to injury

Rui Martins | Sylvia Knapp

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