It is apparent that three step national hearing screening programme which has been applied for the latest years in Turkey is an accurate and non-invasive method to determine the congenital hearing loss. In the future, screening programmes could be rearranged with two steps as initial with TEOAE and retest with ABR and the coverage of the screening programme can be extended.

Introduction. It is known that hyperlipidemia reduces hearing functions. In this study, we aimed to study the effect of antihyperlipidemic drugs on hearing functions and tinnitus. Methods. Eighty-four patients aged 18 to 84, who were diagnosed with hyperlipidemia and started treatment with the statin group (atorvastatin 20 mg and 40 mg, rosuvastatin 10 mg and 20 mg, and simvastatin 20 mg) of antihyperlipidemic drugs, were included in this study. All patients underwent pure-tone audiometry before starting treatment with antihyperlipidemic drugs. Patients with tinnitus were evaluated by Tinnitus Severity Index and Visual Analogue Scale. In the 6th month of therapy, otologic examination, pure-tone audiometry and tinnitus evaluation of the patients were repeated. Results. No significant difference was found in the pure-tone averages of the patients before and after statin use (p > 0.05). However, it was found in the audiometry that, after statin use, all drugs caused to statistically significant decrease in the hearing thresholds at 6000 Hertz (p < 0.05). Also, a strong increase was found in the Speech Discrimination percentages after treatment in patients using rosuvastatin 10 mg (p = 0.022). A significant decrease was found in the tinnitus frequency, duration, severity and degree of annoyance in patients using rosuvastatin 10 mg and 20 mg (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Statin group of drugs can have a positive effect on the hearing functions and subjective tinnitus. In particular, it is seen that rosuvastatin group of statins has a more notable effect on tinnitus. It was considered that further studies with larger patient groups are needed.

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Background: We aimed to evaluate whether C-reactive protein(CRP)/ Albumin ratio (CAR) performed in the early postoperative period after total laryngectomy could be a predictive factor for the development of pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF). Methods: The files of patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent total laryngectomy between January 2005 and January 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: patients with PCF (PCF group) and without (Non-PCF group). CAR values and risk factors were compared between groups. Results: The overall incidence of PCF was 23.2%. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of CRP and CAR levels (p = 0.001). The CAR value of 27.05 (sensitivity = 75.0% , specificity 68.2%, area under curve (AUC) = 0.742, 95% confidence interval 0.616–0.868) was determined as a cutoff value to describe the development of fistula in the early postoperative period. In multiple linear regression analysis, there was an independent relationship between presence of PCF and previous RT and CAR value. Conclusions: CAR, performed in the early postoperative period, may be a new and useful marker for predicting PCF after total laryngectomy.

Transnasal penetrating brain injuries are rare and a medical emergency, which needs to be treated promptly. A 4-year-old male patient was brought to our emergency room with a knife sticking out of his nose. The patient was immediately taken to the operating room and the knife was removed under general anesthesia. No cerebrospinal fluid leakage or any bleeding was seen and so the operation was terminated. The authors herein report a penetrating brain trauma through to the cella turcica with a knife that improved without any sequelae at a child.

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Objectives: The study aimed to identify which surgical method will provide an easier initiation to tympanoplasty for young otolaryngology residents and which method will achieve more successful results. Patients and Methods: The files of 58 patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty were retrospectively reviewed between September 2020 and September 2021. Patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure as the microscopic (MT) and the endoscopic (ET) group. The ET group included 30 patients (16 females, 14 males; median age: 36.5 years range, 18 to 56 years), and the MT group included 28 patients (15 males, 13 females; median age: 29.5 years; range, 18 to 52 years). The two groups were compared in terms of pre- and postoperative audiometry results and graft success rates. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of pre- and postoperative air-bone conduction pure tone averages and air-bone gap (p>0.05). Air-bone gap gain was 13 dB in the ET group and 9.42 dB in the MT group, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The graft success rate was 86.7% in the ET group and 75% in the MT group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although the air-bone gap gain was better in the ET group in our study, it can be said that this difference was clinically negligible. We believe that conducting such a study with more surgeons and surgical cases may guide the otolaryngology residents to start type 1 tympanoplasty surgery.