The hypertrophy of the lingual tonsil is a rare occurrence in adults. This disorder may cause obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and also may lead to a life-threatening obstruction of the upper airway. Diagnosis of lingual tonsil hypertrophy in patients with OSA requires a careful examination by advanced technologic methods. The sleep apnea is successfully treated by lingual tonsillectomy, with or without tracheotomy. In this study the case of an adult with OSA caused by lingual tonsil hypertrophy which was treated with lingual tonsillectomy is presented, and the diagnosis and the treatment procedure of such cases are discussed.

This study compared the aetiology and pathological characteristics of adult and childhood adenoid hypertrophy (AH). Clinical and morphological features and accompanying otolaryngological pathologies were recorded in 40 adults and 23 children undergoing adenoidectomy for obstructive AH. Both AH forms were similar in terms of symptomatology and associated inflammations. There were, however, significant differences in otitis media rate, with effusion and dullness, and retraction in the eardrum both more prevalent in childhood AH. Adult AH was associated with nasal septum deviation in 25.0% of patients. Histopathological features of adenoidal lymphoid tissue were dissimilar in the two groups: numerous lymph follicles with prominent germinal centres was the chief finding in childhood adenoids, whereas adult adenoids showed chronic inflammatory cell infiltration and secondary changes (e.g. squamous metaplasia). These results underline the importance of considering AH as a cause or contributing factor in nasal obstruction and related pathologies in adults and supports the theory that it represents a long-standing inflammatory process rather than being a novel clinical entity.

Transnasal endoscopic approach for the repair of choanal atresia (CA) has gained favor in recent years. However, the studied cohorts are too small to make a comprehensive comment on this approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different techniques, used for the removal of CA under endoscopic guidance, on surgical outcome and effectiveness of transnasal endoscopic approach in these patients as a whole. We present the results of transnasal endoscopic repair of CA in 13 patients and made a meta-analysis of similar studies in the literature. Mean success rate with transnasal endoscopic repair was 85.3% in a total of 238 cases in 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Only the history of previous surgery for CA seemed to significantly decrease the postoperative success rate (P = 0.029). Rate of revision surgery did not significantly differ between mixed, bony, or membranous atresia (P = 0.395). Likewise, simple perforation or complete excision of the atretic plate under endoscopic view (P = 0.513), use or no use of mucosal flap to seal the denuded bone of the choana (P = 0.472), and postoperative stenting or no stenting (P = 0.252) have proved not to considerably have influence on the surgical outcome. Death of perioperative bleeding was the single major complication in 1 case among all of the study groups. In conclusion, types of CA, excision method, and stenting have no significant effect on surgical outcome of CA. Irrespective of the technique used for the excision and the repair of atretic plate, transnasal endoscopic approach with higher success rate and minimal postoperative morbidity is a good choice for the repair of CA.

No abstract

This study suggests that wrapping cartilage grafts with Surgicel grossly reduces cartilage viability and the regeneration potential of the chondrocytes, leading to fibrosis formation. On the other hand, hyaluronic acid promotes cartilage integrity and survival, thus increasing clinical predictability and avoiding the need for overcorrection.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the styloid process (SP) length in the normal population using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT (Folia Morphol 2013; 72, 4: 318-321)

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is characterized by facial paralysis, inner ear dysfunction, periauricular pain, and herpetiform vesicles. The reported incidence in children is 2.7/100,000. The pathogenesis involves the reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) in the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve. The recovery rate is better in children than in adults. This paper discusses a 12-year-old girl with a rare case of peripheral facial paralysis caused by RHS and reviews the literature.

We hypothesized that some substances or organic objects form the nidi of the rhinoliths and are disintegrated over the course of mineral precipitation. This hypothesis was supported by radiologic and microscopic findings.