Background and objectives: Non-motor symptoms in the form of increased sensitivity are often associated with the onset of idiopathic Bell’s palsy (IBP). The aims were to determine whether the pain threshold in the retroauricular regions (RAR) in IBP patients and the time of its occurrence is related to IBP severity. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 220 respondents (142 IBP patients, 78 healthy subjects (HS)). The degree of IBP was graded using the House–Brackmann and Sunnybrook Grading Scales (II—mild dysfunction, VI—total paralysis), whereas the pain thresholds were measured using the digital pressure algometer. Results: We found no difference in the degree of the pain threshold between the right and left RAR in the HS group. IBP patients belonging to groups II, III, IV, and V had lower pain thresholds in both RARs than HS and IBP patients belonging to group VI. There was no difference in the degree of pain threshold in RAR between the affected and unaffected side in IBP patients. The incidence of retroauricular pain that precedes paralysis and ceases after its occurrence in groups II and III of IBP patients is noticeably lower and the incidence of retroauricular pain that occurred only after the onset of paralysis is more frequent. Also, we found that the incidence of retroauricular pain that precedes paralysis and ceases after its occurrence in groups V and VI of IBP patients was more frequent. Conclusions: The degree of pain threshold lowering in RAR (bilaterally) is inversely related to the severity of IBP. We suggest that the occurrence of retroauricular pain before the onset of facial weakness is associated with higher severity of IBP while the occurrence after the onset is associated with lower severity of IBP.
Introduction/Objective. Locally advanced lung cancer (LC) is often accompanied with atelectasis of either a part or the entire lung. The aim of this study was to establish the benefits of brachytherapy on the patients? quality of life (QoL), the length of the progression free survival (PFS), and the overall survival (OS) as related to the presence or absence of atelectasis after the applied treatment. Methods. The total of 100 patients with locally advanced LC or endobronchial metastasis of other malignancy were treated with the high dose rate endobronchial brachytherapy (HDR-EBB) in 2017. For observing the patients? clinical characteristics, the PFS and OS, the patients were classified into four groups according to the presence of atelectasis before and after HDR-EBB. Results. After HDR-EBB alone or combined with other treatment modalities, a statistically significant symptom alleviation was registered for all the symptoms except cough (p<0.05). The significantly highest PFS value was registered among the patients with atelectasis prior but not after HDR-EBB. The longest survival was registered in the patients who had atelectasis prior to, but not after HDR-EBB, as well as among the patients without of atelectasis either before or after EBB. Conclusion. HDR-EBB is an efficient method that improved the QoL of most patients. There were improved rates of re-aeration after HDR-EBB treatment alone and as a part of combined treatment. Re-aeration after EBB is a positive prognostic factor with respect to PFS and OS of these patients.
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