The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy and the safety of transtympanic dexamethasone to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss as first and single drug method. Considering ethical implication of performing a mininvasive procedure on middle ear, we matched such proposed treatment with systemic prednisone administration that represents the widest adopted protocol. Randomized prospective study was conducted. The inclusion criterion was a sudden sensorineural hearing loss of at least 30 dB across three contiguous frequencies over a period of 24 h. Group A received transtympanic steroid injections; Group B received oral administration of steroids. 25 patients were treated with transtympanic therapy whereas 21 underwent systemic treatment. The mean of initial PTA was 59 dB for the whole series: 65 dB for group A and 51 dB for group B. The recovery better than 10 dB was obtained in 80% of patients of group A and in 17 81% of patients of group B, with a total of 80.5%. The mean relative gain in PTA was 41.16% in the group A and 44.7% in the group B. In the frequencies tested (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) PTA improvements after transtympanic treatment were higher than after systemic treatment, but these differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.61). Both transtympanic and systemic treatment had similar clinical recovery times. This prospective randomized clinical study showed good result in terms of hearing recovery, better than the expected results of the simple observation without treatment. We can consider transtympanic administration as a first line treatment, because of the statistical analysis confirmed similar results with systemic therapy, reducing possible side effects of systemic drug administration. The delay of treatment does not influence the outcome, allowing treating patients within 10 days of onset.

Pri mary malignant lymphomas in the salivary glands are relatively rare. Clinical presentation is not characteristic and the disease is often overlooked resulting in diagnosis and treatment delays. Aim:To stress the importance of the diagnostic process and combined management, we present a series of eight patients with malignant lymphoma of the parotid who were diagnosed only after surgery and managed with radiation and chemotherapy. Methods:Retrospective series of patients with primary malignant lymphoma of the parotid gland managed with radiotherapy and diagnostic surgical partial resection.Results: After treatment completion we achieved a loco-regional control rate of 87.5%. Toxicity was charted according to the Common Toxicity Criteria and it was seen in six patients (75%). Six patients are still alive without evidence of recurrent disease in their last follow-up. Conclusion:Our study confirms that primary early stage Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the parotid gland is a disease with an excellent prognosis and a good local control rate, with minimal morbidity. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;77(5):639-44. ORIGINAL ARTICLE BJORL

Objective: The aim of the present study was to verify the efficacy and the safety of intratympanic dexamethasone to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss as salvage therapy. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted on patients affected by idiopathic sudden hearing loss who were treated before with some systemic therapy, but without recovery of the hearing The patients able to undergo the study, but who refused salvage treatment were considered as control group. A solution of Dexamethasone 4 mg/ml was then injected through the posterior-inferior quadrant filling completely the middle ear.The follow-up in the following 6 months included an audiogram every month. Results: The number of patients treated with salvage therapy was 36. The patients who refused treatment were further 10. The salvage treatment was done with a mean delay of 24.3 days from the onset of symptoms. Mean hearing threshold after the onset of sudden hearing loss at PTA was 66.5 dB. After the failed treatment the mean PTA was 59.6 dB. The mean PTA after the intratympanic steroid administration was 46.8 dB, with a mean improvement of 12.8 dB. No hearing change was noted in the 10 patients who refused salvage therapy. The patients that assumed systemic steroid as first therapy showed a better PTA threshold after the salvage intratympanic treatment (p < 0.01). A significant difference (p < 0.05) of hearing recovery was evidenced between non-smoker patients and those with smoking habit. Conclusions: Our data showed that a salvage treatment with intratympanic dexamethasone should be suggested to all patients who failed the first systemic treatment. The systemic steroid therapy done before the salvage treatment seems to exert a protective role for the inner ear, as shown by our series. On the contrary the smoke habit is a negative prognostic factor in the hearing recovery.

Bilateral vocal cord paralysis is a serious illness requiring emergency intervention to resolve the potentially life-threatening respiratory distress. Several surgical procedures were proposed to help improve the airway and to eliminate the tracheostoma in those patients with permanent paralysis. All the procedures have their own advantages and disadvantages. We conducted a retrospective study of 30 patients affected by bilateral vocal cord paralysis following total thyroidectomy. All the patients underwent total thyroidectomy for benign thyroid pathology. In 26 patients (86.6%), cord paralysis occurred during the perioperative stage; and in the remaining 4 cases (13.3%), it occurred within the following 6 months. We treated all these bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis patients with arytenoidectomy alone in 5 patients and arytenoidectomy with concomitant true and false posterior cordectomy in the remaining 25 patients. Twenty-four of the 25 patients who underwent the combined procedures (96%) reported subjective respiratory improvement and were decannulated within 60 days, being able to return to their normal daily activities. This study demonstrates that arytenoidectomy associated with posterior cordectomy is a satisfactory surgical treatment of bilateral vocal cord paralysis because it leads to a considerable and stable enlargement of the breathing space.

Background: Saline nasal irrigation is labelled as an add-on treatment in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). The primary aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 21-day use of buffered hypertonic saline (BHS) versus normal saline solution (NSS) on reducing nasal symptoms in children with seasonal AR (SAR). Comparing their efficacy on nasal cytology counts (NCC), quality of life, and sleep quality was the secondary aim. Methods: In this 21-day,open-label, randomized controlled study, 36 SAR children (aged 6-13 years) with a Total 5 Symptom Score (T5SS) ≥5 received twice-daily BHS or NSS delivered through a nasal douche. Efficacy measures were least square mean changes (LSmc) in T5SS, NCC, Paediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (PRQLQ), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores. Results: BHS improved the T5SS total score to a greater extent than NSS (LSmc -6.45 vs. -5.45, p < 0.001). Concerning NCC, BHS significantly reduced the scores of neutrophils (LSmc -0.76, p = 0.004) and eosinophils (LSmc -0.46, p = 0.018), while NSS did not. Similarly, only BHS yielded a significant improvement in the PRQLQ score (LSmc -0.57, p = 0.009), whereas the improvement in PSQI score was comparable between the BHS (LSmc -0.77, p = 0.025) and NSS (LSmc -1.39, p < 0.001) groups. Overall, BHS was well tolerated. Conclusions: In children with SAR, BHS is effective in improving nasal symptoms and NCC, with an associated beneficial effect on quality of life.

No abstract

No abstract

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common respiratory disease, and its prevalence is increasing all over the world, both in adults and in children. Patients experience symptoms that may negatively impact on physical, social and psychological well-being. Hence, if left untreated, allergic rhinitis may significantly affect quality of life. Under current guidelines, intranasal corticosteroids are considered the most effective drugs and they are recommended as first-line therapy. Among the several corticosteroid intranasal sprays available, beclomethasone dipropionate is one of the most prescribed. Recently, new intranasal hydrofluoroalkane-propelled formulations with little or no impact on the ozone layer have been developed for the treatment of AR. The use of these devices might improve patients' adherence to treatment, avoiding some of the most common side effects associated with aqueous formulations. This review provides the most recent evidence for the efficacy and safety of beclomethasone dipropionate hydrofluoroalkane nasal aerosol in the treatment of allergic rhinitis.