Dexamethasone (and possibly methylprednisolone) may be clinically useful as an intratympanic chemopreventive agent to treat cisplatin ototoxicity. Future clinical studies should investigate the use of dexamethasone for this purpose in adult patients.

No abstract

In this study, we have discussed the facial canal dehiscence rates in patients with scutum defect, who had undergone surgery with the diagnosis of chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma. The operation records of 154 patients who had undergone tympanomastoidectomy with the diagnosis of chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma were retrospectively analyzed. Scutum defect was investigated by inspection under direct high magnification following tympanomeatal flap elevation during the operation. Facial canal dehiscence was evaluated by inspection and through palpation by blunt picking after the pathological tissues had been removed. The rate of scutum defect was determined as 29.22% (45 out of 154 patients), and the rate of facial canal dehiscence was determined as 22.07% (34 out of 154 patients). While facial canal dehiscence was encountered in 55.55% of the patients with scutum defect, this rate was determined as 8.25% in patients without scutum defect. While the tympanic segment was the most commonly affected segment of the facial canal, isolated mastoid segment involvement was encountered in only 1 (2.94%) patient. The presence of scutum defect is a significant finding for the prediction of the extent of the disease and facial canal dehiscence. Thus, the surgeon should pay more attention to avoid facial nerve injury during the operation in the patient in whom a scutum defect is detected.

Decrease in airway volume does not signify the type of respiratory event, but significant narrowing of velopharynx in both dimensions; thus having the narrowest value below a certain level causes more apnea. Advances in knowledge: We did not find a similar study when we did a literature search, showing the relationship of apnea vs hypopnea predominance and upper airway parameters in CT in patients with OSA.

Lipomas are common soft tissue neoplasms; however, they are found rarely in the parotid gland region. The purpose of this study was to analyze the diagnostic challenges of this rare condition. We performed a retrospective analysis of 11 patients with parotid lipomas, treated from November 2009 to February 2014. The mean age at diagnosis was 46.6 ± 2.9 years, and the study population included 8 males and 3 females. Computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in radiological diagnosis. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed in all cases (including two times in five patients, for a total of 16 biopsies) and results were diagnostic in four instances. Specificities of the CT, MRI, and FNA cytology tests were 100%, 100%, and 25% respectively. CT and/or MRI scans were more reliable than FNA cytologies for accurate diagnosis of parotid lipomas.