Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) presents with a typical history of recurrent otorrhoea with tympanic membrane perforation. The diagnosis of cholesteatoma is usually made on otologic examination. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is indicated to evaluate the extension and the complications of cholesteatoma. The aim of the work was to study the role of HRCT in detecting, evaluating diagnosing and managing CSOM. All patients presenting with CSOM who were planned for mastoid exploration surgery in department of ENT, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital within a period of 2 years-from 1st January, 2013 to 31th December, 2014, were taken up for the study. HRCT mastoids done routinely before cholesteatoma surgery, but with improved resolution, to characterize all middle ear structures and complications of the disease prior to surgery, might guide as road map during mastoid explorations for unsafe CSOM. The important role of HRCT lies on the early detection of cholesteatoma, and more conservative surgical procedures can be used to eradicate the disease.

A two-year prospective study was conducted from June 2008 to May 2010. A total of 80 patients with benign laryngeal lesions were included in the study based on symptoms, such as hoarseness of voice, foreign body sensation, vocal fatigue, dyspnea and cough and with positive clinical findings on indirect laryngoscopy. Diagnostic and therapeutic laryngoscopic and microlarygoscopic procedures were employed. Vocal cord polyps were observed to be the commonest type of lesions. Out of the 80 patients in the study group, 40% patients got complete relief with voice rest and vocal rehabilitation; 60% patients required surgery, which included endoscopic/microlarygoscopic endolaryngeal surgery and external approaches. There was no recurrence in cases of vocal polyps and nodules during the period of observation. Endolaryngeal surgery and voice rest offer a cost-effective, useful and safe method for the management of benign laryngeal lesions. With the inclusion of lasers, they can be more precisely operated. As such, the standard treatment of choice in all types of benign tumors of the larynx should consist of a triad of approach by microlaryngeal surgery (either microscopic or endoscopic, with or without use of lasers), voice rest and vocal rehabilitation.

A total number of 62 cases of ophthalmological manifestations caused by various ENT diseases, mostly paranasal tumour extensions, nasopharyngeal tumour and furunculosis of nose were analysed in a retrospective study in relation to their age, sex, clinical, radiological and HP profile. CT scan was considered as the most dependable investigating tool. Different modalities of medical and surgical treatment have been adopted according to location and nature of the disease. A close cooperation is needed between otolaryngologist and ophthalmologist to overcome this challenge.

The purpose of closure of small dry tympanic membrane perforations is to restore the continuity of the tympanic membrane in order to improve hearing and decrease the incidence of middle ear infections. Small and cost effective procedures like Chemical Cauterization and Fat Plug Myringoplasty have been found to be effective in healing small central perforations with significant hearing improvement. A study was carried out in 69 patients with central perforations in the Department of ENT, Gauhati Medical College & Hospital for the duration of 1 year from August 11 to July 12. Out of 69 patients, 36 underwent Chemical Cauterization and 33 Fat Plug Myringoplasty. Pre-and post-operative hearing assessments of each patient were done and statistically analyzed. The success rate was found to be 83.33% and 90.9% respectively. In both groups, there was statistically significant hearing improvement with a P value 0.01. From our study, it was found that the two procedures are simple, reliable and also lessened the morbidity of the patient. Thus we recommend the use of these two official procedures for the treatment of central perforations of tympanic membrane less than 5 mm.

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Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a condition characterized by episodic partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep leading to apnoea or cessation of breathing. Obstruction of the upper airway during sleep may result in the generation of noise (snoring), reduction (hypopnoea) or cessation (apnoea) of airflow at the nostrils and mouth. There are multiple indications for undertaking a patient for adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) being one among many. Objective: The aim of the present study was to find the prevalence of OSA symptoms in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy for indications other than that of obstructive sleep apnoea. Material & Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of ENT and Head & Neck surgery, Gauhati Medical College & Hospital, Guwahati for a period of one year. Twenty six patients who underwent adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy during this period were selected for the study. The parents of the patients were administered the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire pre-operatively and the patients were evaluated for any symptoms of OSA. A score of 8 or more was suggestive of presence of breathing related sleep disorder. All statistical analyses were performed using statistical software SPSS 16.0 version. To test for the difference in the proportion between different variables, chisquare/fisher exact test where appropriate were employed. All statistical tests were two tailed with 0.05 as the threshold level of significance. Results: 11 children (42.3%) had a score of 8 or more out of the 26 children in Paediatric sleep questionnaire. The chi square for this was 4.696 with a p value of 0.096. The snoring subscale was found to be positive in 19 children (73.1%). All children with score of 8 or more were positive for the snoring scale. The sleepiness subscale was found to be positive in 14 children (53.8%). 10 of the 11 children were positive for sleepiness scale among the children who had a score of 8 or more in the questionnaire. These were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: A significant population of the children undergoing routine adenotonsillectomy also has symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea. The pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnoea should be borne in mind in all children having adenotonsillar hypertrophy and a prompt and early intervention into these children should be aimed for both the infective etiology and the possible outcomes of their compromise to the airway column for a better quality of life.

Managing oesophageal strictures, whether benign or malignant has always been a challenging task for ENT Surgeons, Endoscopists, Cardio-thoracic surgeons and Gastro-enterologists. Although various newer technological developments have helped in better management of malignant strictures, it is the benign strictures that are still being managed by conventional means with gum-elastic bougies and other dilatation techniques. Children are not immune to benign strictures, rather corrosive strictures, congenital webs and membranes etc. are much more common in the paediatric age group. We present the technical details and our experience in managing benign oesophageal strictures in five children by endoscopic balloon dilatation.

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