Ear, nose, & throat journal
-
Comparative Study
Unidentified coagulation disorders in post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage.
We conducted a retrospective study of 6,966 patients who had undergone tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy to evaluate the incidence and clinical features of previously unidentified coagulation disorders in patients who experienced postoperative hemorrhage (n = 201). We found that post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage secondary to unidentified coagulation disorders is extremely rare. However, normal coagulation values and an insignificant history do not rule out coagulation disorders. If diffuse, persistent, and bilateral bleeding is not related to arterial hypertension, dissection technique, or local infection, a rapid and detailed analysis of coagulation factors should be considered.
-
Silent otitis media is a progressive otogenic disease. Intracranial manifestations of this complication are limited; the most common is meningitis. We report a case of meningitis and pneumocephalus as a complication of silent otitis media. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of pneumocephalus as a complication of silent otitis media.
-
Review Case Reports
Giant-cell reparative granuloma of the temporal bone: a case report and review of the literature.
Giant-cell reparative granuloma (GCRG) is an unusual, non-neoplastic fibrous lesion that most often arises in the mandible and maxilla. GCRG of the temporal bone is exceedingly rare. To the best of our knowledge, only 17 cases have been previously reported in the international medical literature. ⋯ We report the case of a young woman with a very large GCRG of the right temporal bone. We discuss the clinical picture, differential diagnosis, histologic evaluation, appearance on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and treatment options. We also review the cases of temporal bone GCRG that have been reported in the literature so far.
-
Despite the development of sophisticated diagnostic procedures and treatments for other otologic and neurotologic conditions, tinnitus remains difficult to manage. Several investigators have shown that lidocaine has an effect on temporarily (for several minutes) relieving subjective tinnitus, but few reports have described the response to lidocaine according to different individual patient characteristics. Over a 24-year period, we administered either 60 or 100 mg of intravenous lidocaine to 117 ears in 103 patients with subjective tinnitus (14 patients received treatment bilaterally). ⋯ The 100-mg dose was more effective than the 60-mg dose in completely eliminating tinnitus (34.9 vs 20.6%), but the two doses were comparable when elimination rates were combined with rates of reduction of tinnitus (71.1 and 70.6%, respectively). With respect to individual patient characteristics, ears with low- to middle-tone tinnitus had a better response, as did ears in which the hearing level was 40 dB or higher and ears of patients aged 60 years and older. The response to lidocaine was not correlated with the baseline loudness of tinnitus or to its duration.