Objectives This study evaluated whether the symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) change after multilevel surgery for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Methods Patients who underwent multilevel surgery for OSA between April 2009 and September 2014 were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent preoperative polysomnography prior to surgery and were asked to complete the reflux symptom index (RSI) questionnaire before and after surgery.Results Of 73 enrolled patients, 24 (33%) reported an RSI score >13 and were thus classified as having reflux. The mean RSI score before surgery was 11.48±7.95; this number decreased to 4.95±6.19 after surgery (P<0.001). The rate of positive RSI responses was 33% before surgery and 9% after surgery. Each variable that comprised the RSI improved significantly after surgery, except for difficulty with swallowing. Regarding the degree of RSI improvement after surgery, there were no significant differences between subgroups according to sex, age, body mass index, OSA severity, or surgical outcome.Conclusion LPR symptoms are prevalent in OSA patients. Treatment for OSA using multilevel surgery potentially reduces the symptoms of LPR.

Foreign bodies (FB) in the external auditory canal are relative medical emergency. The objective of this study was to describe the types of FB and their complications and to highlight on new FB not seen before which was the bluetooth devices that were used for cheating during high school examination in Al-Fallujah city. This was a two-year hospital-based descriptive study performed in the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Al-Fallujah General Hospital, from June 2011 to May 2013; during this period, 224 FB had been extracted from 224 patients. Beads were extracted from 68 patients (30.4%), cotton tips were extracted from 50 patients (22.3%), seeds and garlic were extracted from 31 patients (13.8%), papers were extracted from 27 patients (12.1%), insects were extracted from 24 patients (10.7%), button batteries were extracted from 13 patients (5.8%), and bluetooth devices were extracted from 7 patients (3.1%). Most of the cases did not develop complications (87.5%) during extraction. The main complications were canal abrasion (4.5%). Proper instrumentation allows the uncomplicated removal of many FB. The use of general anesthesia is preferred in very young children. Bluetooth device objects should be considered as new aural FB, especially in our territory.

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EJV preservation may reduce immediate postoperative neck edema and pain/discomfort related to neck dissection.