BACKGROUND The objective of this study is to compare and evaluate the results of Bilateral Inferior Turbinectomy (BIT) and Submucosal Diathermy (SMD) in case of bilateral hypertrophied inferior turbinates with nasal obstruction.

No abstract

The volume of the mastoid air cell system was measured in 69 patients with normal middle ears. All patients underwent axial ultrahigh-resolution computed tomography. Mastoid pneumatization was marked on each axial slice, and 3-dimensional reconstruction was performed. The volumes were measured with a volumetric algorithm. A polyethylene tubing phantom with a density similar to that of bone on computed tomography was devised. The polyethylene tubing was tied in a particular fashion so as to create interconnecting air spaces with a known volume. The phantom was scanned with the imaging parameters used for scanning the temporal bone. The air in the tubing was marked, and 3-dimensional reconstruction for the marked phantom air was performed. The volume of the interconnecting air spaces was measured and found to be identical to its known volume, thereby verifying the accuracy of the method used. The mean mastoid volume was 6.61 cm3. The smallest volume measured was 1.3 cm3, and the largest was 12.7 cm3. The importance of this technique lies in its high accuracy, ease of use, and ability to directly correlate mastoid size and clinical findings.

In order to identify factors that could influence the success of tympanoplasties in adults, a retrospective study of 291 tympanoplasties performed on patients aged 15 years and older during the years 1984–1989 was carried out. Surgical success was defined as an intact membrane after two years follow-up and hearing improvement of at least 15 decibels. The success rate of the tympanoplasties was 90%. A functioning eustachian tube was found to be important for graft take. No difference was found in the rate of graft take regardless of whether fascia of the temporal muscle or tragal perichondrium was used or if fibrin glue was used. An audiological improvement was seen in 77% of the patients, and no significant difference regarding hearing gain was found between the different prostheses. It is concluded that tympanoplasty in adults is a simple operation with a high probability of success which can improve the quality of life of those operated upon.