European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Jan 1992
Preoperative ultrasonographic verification of peritonsillar abscesses in patients with severe tonsillitis.
Infection around the tonsillar region does not always mean the presence of a peritonsillar abscess although the condition of peritonsillitis without abscess formation may clinically present similarly. It is, however, of therapeutic importance to distinguish between the two conditions. Treatment for abscess is surgical: aspiration, incision and drainage or immediate tonsillectomy. ⋯ The transducer used was placed just below the mandibular angle, pointing posteriorly and cranially. The results of this study showed that it was possible to verify the presence of an abscess in approximately 90% of the cases. We suggest that this examination be performed whenever the normal clinical examination is insufficient due to trismus, lack of patient cooperation, etc.
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Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol · Jan 1992
Manometric determinations of pressure changes in the external auditory meatus caused by a patulous eustachian tube.
The pressure changes developing in the nasopharynx and in the external auditory canal during breathing at rest were examined by means of manometry in patients with patulous eustachian tubes and in healthy control subjects who were able to keep their eustachian tubes opened for prolonged periods of time. Findings demonstrated that pressure changes in the nasopharynx in both groups were practically the same, but pressure changes in the external auditory meatuses of the patients with patulous tubes were about one order greater than in the control group. This occurrence might be caused either by relaxation of the fibers of the tympanic membrane or by different degrees of opening of the eustachian tubes.