Background There have been arguments over the efficacy of elective unilateral central neck dissection (CND) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) <1 cm who underwent hemithyroidectomy. This study was designed to investigate locoregional recurrence and postoperative complications related to elective unilateral CND for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods Five hundred thirty‐seven patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy, with or without CND for PTMC, were included. We compared locoregional recurrence and postoperative complication rates between 138 patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy only (CND group) and 399 patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy with elective unilateral CND (CND+ group). Results Recurrence was observed in 32 patients. Twenty‐two patients with recurrence were in the CND+ group and 10 were in the CND‐ group. Recurrence rate was not significantly different between the 2 groups (P = .434). Conclusion Concomitant unilateral elective CND did not enhance outcomes of hemithyroidectomy for the treatment of PTMC.

Background and Objectives: Olfactory training is an alternative treatment based on modulation of the regeneration process of the olfactory system via repeated exposure to odors. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of olfactory training with intranasal corticosteroid in Korean patients with various causes of olfactory dysfunction. Subjects and Method: Our study population comprised 134 adults with olfactory dysfunction of different etiologies (postviral infection n=85; post-traumatic n=18; and idiopathic n=31). For training, patients exposed themselves to four different odors twice a day. All patients used fluticasone nasal spray (two sprays in each nostril once daily). Olfactory function was evaluated at baseline and again at three months, and results were quantified as patient TDI (threshold, discrimination, and identification) score. Results: Olfactory function improved in 74 of 134 patients (55.2%). Etiology of olfactory disorder, sex, and age had statistically significant influence on the improvement rate of olfactory function, among which etiology of olfactory loss was the most important. However, initial severity and duration of olfactory loss had no statistically significant influence on the improvement rate. The TDI score at three months of olfactory training showed remarkable improvement, primarily because of improvements in the discrimination and identification components. Conclusion: The present study showed that olfactory training with intranasal corticosteroid was beneficial to improve olfactory function in patients with olfactory dysfunction, particularly in postviral infection patients.

Background and Objectives: Magnetic resonance imaging is commonly used in neurologic examination of intracranial problems. Incidental abnormalities in the sinonasal area without clinical symptoms have been reported in about 38% of patients. Subjects and Method:The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of sinonasal surgical patients transferred from neurologists. Two hundred two patients were enrolled and divided into two groups. Group I patients had been directly transferred from the Neurology Department within 1 month after neurologic evaluation. Group II patients directly visited the Rhinology Department without a neurologic evaluation within the prior year. Both groups had received sinonasal endoscopic surgery or septal surgery. Clinical characteristics, pathologic findings, and surgical results were compared between groups. Results: Headache and dizziness were common symptoms in group I. Group II patients displayed more severe sinus involvement with nasal symptoms. Fungal ball was the main pathologic finding in group I. Nasal polyps were common in group II. Most patients had improved symptoms after sinonasal surgery. Conclusion: Patients transferred from the Neurology Department had different clinicopathologic characteristics than patients without neurologic problems who had first been evaluated at the Rhinology Department.