High definition CT has been advocated for the evaluation of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) either generally or in selected cases. It is said to be capable of producing the fine detail needed to detect lateral canal fistulae, exposed dura and facial canal dehiscences, and to demonstrate the ossicular chain. At present there is no agreement on either the indications for CT scanning in CSOM or the most appropriate scanning plane. To determine the value of high definition CT in CSOM and to decide a unit policy for its application, 36 cases of CSOM underwent pre-operative CT scanning and their scans were compared with the operative findings. Our results show CT to be highly sensitive to the presence of soft tissue disease and bone erosion, moderately sensitive to the presence of lateral canal fistulae but less sensitive to the presence of small areas of exposed dura, ossicular continuity and facial canal dehiscence. Axial scans were better able to demonstrate the lateral canal but otherwise coronal scans were superior; ideally patients should be scanned in both planes. The principle value of CT in CSOM is its ability to demonstrate disease which is not clinically apparent.

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The main aim of the study was to evaluate the use of positron emission tomography using fluoro-deoxyglucose (PET-FDG) imaging for the detection of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Fifty-four consecutive patients with malignancies involving the head and neck were studied prospectively. Thirty-one patients presented with primary disease and 23 were suspected of recurrent or residual disease. All patients underwent full clinical staging, PET-FDG scans and anatomical imaging, 37 underwent computed tomography (CT), 13 magnetic resonance (MR) and four had both CT and MR. Clinical assessment, CT/MR, PET-FDG and histological examination were all evaluated independently of each other. All 31 primary head and neck malignant tumours were detected by PET-FDG. Based on 16 patients who underwent neck dissections, the sensitivity and specificity of PET-FDG for detecting nodal disease was 67% and 100% respectively, compared with clinical assessment of 58% and 75% and CT/MR of 67% and 25%. In all 12 patients, PET-FDG correctly identified the presence of absence or recurrent or residual disease. PET-FDG staged 13 post-treatment necks with an accuracy of 100% as compared to CT/MR which was accurate in 7 of 13 and clinical assessment which was accurate in eight. Three sites of abnormal tracer uptake unrelated to malignancy were recorded as incidental findings (mandibular osteomyelitis, 1: post glossectomy site, 2). PET-FDG was more accurate than CT/MR for identifying primary and recurrent tumours as well as metastatic lesions in the neck. If these diagnostic properties of PET-FDG are confirmed in further prospective studies, it could prove a valuable adjunct for the management of head and neck cancer.

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Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal bacterium in the respiratory tract mucosa of most people and infects the skin of atopic dermatitis patients. This might imply a symbiotic relationship between host and bacterium or a standoff between bacterial infection and the host immune system. But superantigens produced by S. aureus in these locations are of particular interest because they are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders and airway disease. They appear to act locally in these conditions by stimulating polyclonal T cell and B cell proliferation and driving somatic hypermutation, class switching to immunoglobulin (Ig) E and the production of allergen-specific IgE in mucosal B cells. IgE antibodies directed against the superantigens ('superallergens') themselves engender chronic inflammation and the persistent sensitization to conventional allergens of mast cells and antigen-presenting cells in mucosal tissues in atopic dermatitis, rhinitis and asthma. Moreover, S. aureus superantigens inhibit the activity of T regulatory cells that normally control inflammation, and generate a state of steroid resistance that confounds treatment of allergic disorders and airway disease.

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We report the otological effects of the April 1999 Soho Nail Bomb on 17 patients. Twenty-one (62%) tympanic membranes were perforated (pars tensa only); 78% closed spontaneously within 6 months. The mean size of the perforation in the tympanic membrane nearer to the blast was significantly larger than the opposite side [33% +/- 8.3 (mean +/- SD) and 13% +/- 4.1 respectively; P = 0.02]. All patients reported hearing losses that were mixed conductive and sensorineural but mainly high-frequency sensorineural (4, 6 and 8 kHz, pure tone average 42.3 dB +/- 20.5). The sensorineural hearing loss correlated inversely with the distance from the explosion but not with the size of perforation. There was no significant difference in the hearing loss between the ear facing the blast and the opposite ear. Fifteen patients (88%) had temporary tinnitus. No patient complained of any vestibular symptoms. The otological effects of a nail bomb in an enclosed space have not been previously reported. Furthermore, an inverse correlation between hearing loss and distance from the explosion and a significant difference in perforation size facing the blast, compared with the opposite side, are also presented for the first time. The high spontaneous closure rate of perforations and minimal ongoing disability from sensorineural losses favour conservative management in most cases.

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