Background: The physiological functions of the paranasal sinuses are as yet unclear, and it is often assumed that these empty air-filled spaces have no vital function in our body. Recently, nitric oxide has been reported to be synthetized in high concentration by the paranasal sinuses which seems to be the main function of these air-filled empty spaces. Body of abstract: The functional role of the paranasal sinuses is still ambiguous despite the several hypotheses that have been put forward to justify their existence. Although it has been recently demonstrated that the paranasal sinuses produce large amounts of nitric oxide (NO), otolaryngologists overwhelmed by attempting to unravel the enigmatic etiology underlying chronic rhinosinusitis have interpreted the high NO output in this context. Nevertheless, NO prime function is vasodilation and has long been recognized to be produced by the endothelial cells. In this review, evidence in the literature is piled and pieces of the puzzle are put together to show that NO synthesized in the paranasal sinuses functions as an airborne messenger that induces pulmonary vasodilation and thereby decreases the workload on the heart. Recognition that the paranasal sinuses are in fact an organ with known function is likely to foster further research and has an impact on our current surgical philosophy. Conclusion: The paranasal sinuses seem to play a vital physiological role in our body rather than being evolutionary remnants as initially thought. They are likely responsible for regulating the pulmonary blood pressure thereby preventing pulmonary hypertension.

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Objective Platelet-rich plasma has gained interest over the two last decades, mainly because of its role in regenerative medicine. This work aimed to assess the role of intra-operative local application of platelet-rich plasma gel in the improvement of quality of voice after microlaryngeal surgery. Method This was a prospective comparative study that included 40 patients undergoing microlaryngeal surgery for benign vocal fold lesions. There were two groups divided equally into study group A and control group B. The assessment of voice was performed by videostroboscopy and acoustic analysis pre-operatively and at two weeks and one and three months post-operatively. Results The data demonstrated that all the stroboscopic and acoustic parameters showed significant improvement in both groups. Group A showed significant improvement regarding acoustic parameters at the third post-operative follow up when compared with group B. Conclusion Platelet-rich plasma has a beneficial effect on voice quality following microlaryngeal surgery based in particular on acoustic parameters.

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this study showed that better locoregional control in cases managed surgically than cases managed by organ preservation protocol (incidence of recurrence was lower in cases managed surgically). Assessment of laryngeal functions showed that swallowing difficulties were less evident in cases managed by total laryngectomy than cases managed by organ preservation . Also there were anatomical abnormalities like anterior pouch, pseudo epiglottis and delayed peristalsis after laryngectomy. while Respiratory function assessment showed non-significant differences between both groups regarding daily activities. Tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, smoking and age of the patients had great effect on the result. Advanced tumor stage (T4), lymph node invasion and smoking were associated with higher incidence of tumor recurrence. Also advanced tumor stage and old age were associated with more swallowing difficulties after management in both groups.